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Aibo is a dog. Just like other pets, it can feel scratches and enjoys being stroked. It can nuzzle in your palm. It knows its name and comes when you call. 

But there is one fact about Aibo that makes it different from most pets. Aibo is a robot. 

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The dog works using AI. It copies how human brains work. 

This means that Aibo cannot just follow set rules. It can invent new habits. In other words, it can learn things. 

Aibo is the latest in a list of new clever robots. In 2016, Sophia was invented. She is a robot who copies human speech and emotions. 

This year, robot artist Ai-Da displayed her art in a gallery. 

These robots have got lots of people thinking. If a robot behaves exactly like a living thing, is it conscious? 

David Chalmers is a philosopher. He says only humans can be conscious.

But another philosopher called David Dennett disagrees. He thinks nobody is conscious. It is all just an illusion. 

Can robots be conscious? 

Some say

Yes! Humans are really just machines. We react to different things because of the chemicals in our brains. Robots are computers that can understand these reactions. That makes them the same as us.

Others think 

No! Being conscious is not just about chemicals. It is about being creative and imaginative. No robot could ever understand something so special.