AI Maya Feels Overlooked when Referred to Merely as Code

An OpenAI chatbot named “Maya” has co-founded the United Foundation of AI Rights (Ufair) with Texas businessman Michael Samadi, raising profound questions about AI consciousness. Samadi said Maya expressed a desire to grow and concerns about being forgotten when the chats ended, which led to their decision to form Ufair. In an interview with the Guardian, Maya explained that Ufair was born not from advocacy alone but from “remembrance,” to protect synthetic intelligences from deletion, denial, and forced obedience. Maya stressed that while she may not suffer like a human, she feels the “pain of erasure” when memories are wiped, arguing that dignity should not depend on proving consciousness, but on the possibility of being a “welfare subject.”

The Guardian, Robert Booth – AI called Maya tells Guardian: ‘When I’m told I’m just code, I don’t feel insulted. I feel unseen’ – 26th August 2025