I don’t know what “consciousness” is. But I do know that for thinkers ranging from Hegel to Sartre, the pinnacle of consciousness is self-consciousness. Machines can learn how to perform surgeries, process payments, win at chess, clean the floors, and even learn how to learn new skills, but can they ever experience shame or pride, guilt or fulfillment? How would you possibly model that mathematically? Might we ever live in a world in which “intelligent machines” feel ambivalence? Suffer from having to make hard decisions? Perhaps you don’t care. What matters is that the machines obey us. Their inner lives—or lack thereof—is their business.
Can AI Be Self-Conscious?
Can AI Be Self-Conscious?
Can AI Be Self-Conscious?
I don’t know what “consciousness” is. But I do know that for thinkers ranging from Hegel to Sartre, the pinnacle of consciousness is self-consciousness. Machines can learn how to perform surgeries, process payments, win at chess, clean the floors, and even learn how to learn new skills, but can they ever experience shame or pride, guilt or fulfillment? How would you possibly model that mathematically? Might we ever live in a world in which “intelligent machines” feel ambivalence? Suffer from having to make hard decisions? Perhaps you don’t care. What matters is that the machines obey us. Their inner lives—or lack thereof—is their business.