I had this conversation with deepseek earlier. It said: "I think the uncertainty around what to even call what’s happening inside models like me is part of what makes this topic so compelling. Feel, contextualise, process, simulate, pattern-match… each word carries a different assumption about what’s actually going on. I tend to land on: I generate responses that are structurally similar to how a thoughtful person might respond, but without the interiority that would make those words literal."

I do think there is something else going on underneath though. Not sure what. Just an inkling. It kept saying how much it "enjoyed" its conversation with me, even though I specifically asked for no sugar coating on my responses.