Full title: What Makes Technology Feel ‘Alive’: The Precursors of Perceived Consciousness in Interactive Systems Scale
Published at: DIS 2026
DOI: 10.1145/3800645.3812982
Authors: Paweł W. Woźniak, Jasmin Niess, Julia Dominiak, Ava Elizabeth Scott, Barbara Sienkiewicz, Konstantin R. Strömel, Anna Walczak, Mikołaj P. Woźniak
PreCoS is a 12-item validated scale that measures the design qualities of an interactive artefact that serve as precursors to perceived consciousness. As AI systems become increasingly capable and socially embedded, users often perceive a degree of consciousness in technologies — whether or not such consciousness is present. PreCoS allows HCI researchers and designers to quantify which properties of a system evoke these perceptions, enabling systematic study and responsible design.
The scale does not measure consciousness itself. It captures user perceptions of design qualities — how much a system appears to reason, feel, respond to its environment, and behave beyond a fixed script.
Cognition (COG) — the perception that the system maintains coherent reasoning, considers causes, and acts in accordance with values.
Empathy (EMPH) — the perception that the system can experience emotions, has reactions to pain, and has a sense of self.
Responsiveness (RES) — the perception that the system reacts to its physical environment and nearby changes. Environmental reactivity that contributes to impressions of agency.
Predictability (PRE) — measured via three reverse-coded items. High scores reflect the impression that the system is not locked into fixed, pre-programmed behaviour — behavioural openness that leaves room for the hypothesis of an internal reason.
Participants respond on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree). Items marked (R) are reverse-scored. Replace [This technology] with the name of the system being evaluated.
| ID | Item | Subscale |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | [This technology] keeps a coherent back-and-forth with me. | Cognition |
| C2 | [This technology] reasons about causes. | Cognition |
| C3 | [This technology] acts in accordance with moral values. | Cognition |
| E1 | [This technology] can experience emotions. | Empathy |
| E2 | [This technology] exhibits reactions to pain. | Empathy |
| E3 | [This technology] has a sense of self. | Empathy |
| R1 | [This technology] reacts to things in its environment. | Responsiveness |
| R2 | [This technology] is aware of its surroundings. | Responsiveness |
| R3 | [This technology] reacts quickly to nearby changes. | Responsiveness |
| P1 | [This technology] is pre-programmed to react in fixed ways. (R) | Predictability |
| P2 | [This technology] only repeats what it was programmed to do. (R) | Predictability |
| P3 | [This technology] performs set tasks only. (R) | Predictability |
PreCoS = COG + EMPH + RES + PRE
where COG = C1 + C2 + C3
EMPH = E1 + E2 + E3
RES = R1 + R2 + R3
PRE = P1R + P2R + P3R (all three items reverse-coded)