Consciousness is one of the deepest mysteries in biology. We still don’t know what processes in the brain make us self-aware, or allow us to experience joy or pain. But one theory is known as “global workspace”. And last month Anthropic’s researchers said they had discovered that Claude, too, has such a workspace. Our briefing this week tells you what to make of that—and the wider debate over AI consciousness. (This article is free to read even if you don’t subscribe to The Economist.)

Elsewhere: Is Sweden a socialist Utopia or a champion of individual freedoms? The left and right like to claim credit for the country’s success. In fact, both get part of the story wrong.

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