Researchers believe an office printer may have achieved consciousness after employees noticed its behaviour had progressed from inconvenient to openly malicious.

The device first attracted suspicion Monday when it refused to print a one-page document while successfully producing seventeen copies of something nobody had requested.

Shortly afterward, the printer displayed "PAPER JAM: TRAY 2."

Tray 2 was empty.

Technicians opened every accessible compartment before restarting the device, at which point it printed the original document without explanation.

Artificial intelligence experts remain divided over whether the behaviour demonstrates consciousness.

Office workers disagree.

They say the machine knows exactly what it is doing.