Artificial-intelligence systems such as large language models (LLMs) can exhibit behaviour that seems strikingly intelligent. This has led many people, including some experts, to wonder whether these systems could have some form of consciousness — the capacity for subjective experience. However, we think that existing AI systems are not conscious, and that, along current trajectories of development, they are not likely to become conscious. Greater clarity about whether AI could become consciousness will be crucial as society grapples with the challenges posed by this increasingly powerful technology.

  • xylogx@lemmy.worldEnglish
    112·
    12 days ago

    As others have pointed out we do not even agree on what consciousness is. There are three competing camps:

    1. Mechanists - if it can pass mechanical tests it is conscious
    2. Dualist - you need more than just the brain, some second soul-like thing to be conscious
    3. Pan psychist - everything is conscious

    If you are in camp 1 the conversation about consciousness is getting more complicated as AI passes more tests. If you are in camp 2 AI can never be conscious. If you are in camp 3 AI and everything else is conscious including rocks and rivers and the stars in the sky.

    • Repple (she/her)@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      11 days ago

      I’d probably fall into the mechanist category but I don’t think tests as I understand your description would be sufficient. A giant lookup table defining my responses for every situation in my life would pass all tests of input > output but not be conscious.

      I would say it’s in all likelihood about the physical processes that occur during the process of input > output that would define it.

      Of course, I have no idea what consciousness actually is, but I don’t see any compelling evidence that the current models are anywhere near there.