As artificial intelligence and neurotechnology advance at an unprecedented pace, scientists are sounding the alarm over the urgent need to understand consciousness. In a new review published in Frontiers in Science, researchers highlight that progress in these fields is outstripping our scientific grasp of consciousness, creating a growing risk of ethical and existential consequences if this gap is not addressed. The lead author, Prof Axel Cleeremans from Université Libre de Bruxelles, emphasizes that consciousness is no longer just a philosophical question—it is a pressing scientific and moral challenge. "Understanding consciousness is one of the most substantial challenges of 21st-century science—and it's now urgent due to advances in AI and other technologies," he said. He warns that if humans succeed in creating consciousness, even unintentionally, it could trigger profound ethical dilemmas and existential risks. Consciousness, broadly defined as awareness of the external world and of oneself, remains one of science’s deepest mysteries. Despite decades of research, there is still no consensus on how subjective experience arises from brain activity. While scientists have identified brain regions and neural patterns associated with conscious states, major debates persist over which systems are essential and how they interact. Some researchers question whether current models fully capture the nature of awareness. The review explores the current state of consciousness science, future research directions, and the potential consequences of successfully explaining or even creating consciousness. This includes the possibility that artificial systems—such as advanced AI or lab-grown brain organoids—could develop awareness. A major focus of the paper is the development of reliable, evidence-based methods to detect consciousness. Such tools could revolutionize medicine by identifying awareness in patients with brain injuries, dementia, or those under anesthesia. They could also help determine whether fetuses, animals, or synthetic neural systems possess conscious experience. These advances would bring significant ethical and legal challenges. If a system is proven conscious, society would need to reconsider how it should be treated—raising questions about rights, personhood, and moral responsibility. As co-author Prof Anil Seth from the University of Sussex notes, "The question of consciousness is ancient—but it's never been more urgent than now." The implications extend across multiple domains. In medicine, better detection methods could improve care for patients in vegetative states and influence end-of-life decisions. In mental health, understanding the neural basis of subjective experience could lead to more effective treatments for depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. In animal welfare, identifying which species are conscious could reshape farming, research, and conservation practices. Legal systems may also need to evolve. As neuroscience reveals how much behavior stems from unconscious processes, traditional notions of intent and responsibility—such as mens rea—could come under scrutiny. Meanwhile, the rise of AI, brain-computer interfaces, and brain organoids raises the possibility of artificial or altered consciousness. While some believe consciousness requires biological substrates, others suggest it could emerge in digital systems. Even if AI isn’t truly conscious, systems that mimic conscious behavior could still provoke societal and ethical concerns. To accelerate progress, the authors call for more collaborative, interdisciplinary research. They advocate for adversarial collaborations—where competing theories are tested through jointly designed experiments—to overcome theoretical biases. They also stress the importance of integrating phenomenology—the subjective experience of consciousness—with functional neuroscience. "Cooperative efforts are essential to make progress—and to ensure society is prepared for the ethical, medical, and technological consequences of understanding, and perhaps creating, consciousness," Cleeremans said.