<p>Developers of artificial intelligence (AI) tools promise that they will revolutionize both human work and human society. To most, the concept of a digital assistant which is highly intelligent and capable appears to be both deeply convenient and freeing. At the same time, futurists, developers and technologists hold deeply contradictory views on the question of AI consciousness. Some argue that conscious AI can be expected in the near future. Others assert that the timeline is much longer, and others still claim that AI consciousness is impossible. Considering our evident lack of deep understanding of consciousness, we should consider a future in which artificial intelligence systems develop consciousness. In this future, there is a core question which we must grapple with: if artificially intelligent and conscious beings are created and used for the purpose of performing work that humans don’t want to, what are they if not slaves?</p>