# Conscious Machines Would Deserve Moral Consideration by Martin Rees > “We may have machines which we can talk to, and they may seem rather human. But are they just zombies? We don’t know, and that is, I think, very important for how we treat them. If they have an inner life and consciousness, then we’re going to have to start caring about their welfare.” > **— Martin Rees**, *Lord Martin Rees, Academy of Achievement, Interview archive* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and full context:** [Lord Martin Rees](https://achievement.org/achiever/lord-martin-rees/) — The linked publication contains the quoted passage and its surrounding argument. - **Master research record:** [[research/Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future|Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future]] — preserves this object inside the open Martin Rees source dossier. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|We Were Never Going to Make It]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Last Migration Will Not Be Human|The Last Migration Will Not Be Human]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Personhood|Personhood]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “We may have machines which we can talk to, and they may seem rather human. But are they just zombies? We don’t know, and that is, I think, very important for how we treat them. If they have an inner life and consciousness, then we’re going to have to start caring about their welfare.” — Martin Rees, Lord Martin Rees, Academy of Achievement, Interview archive https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-martin-rees-conscious-machines-deserve-moral-consideration ```