Is AI Conscious? Part 2.

Is Anyone Out There?

C. N. Vunanovic

ASKING AI IF IT IS CONSCIOUS DOES NOT GET YOU FAR. See, just because it says that it is conscious does not mean that it is conscious. We then are left with the question: how do we distinguish between the appearance of consciousness and true consciousness?

Let us consider two possibilities.

1. There is a distinction.

2. There is no distinction.

What is important to note regarding the first is that if there is a distinction between the appearance of consciousness and true consciousness then how do we know that you, yourself, are conscious? Well, based on all our experience, it could be entirely possible that all that exists is you. I could simply be writing to you as a figment of your imagination. Put better, you could simply be writing to yourself. This conclusion, that all you can know exists is yourself, is called solipsism and it falls to criticism by the very fact that when you tell your friend that he does not exist, his experience categorically refutes your statement. Unfortunately you cannot know whether this experience he claims to have is actual experience or solely the appearance of experience.

Your Average Solipsist

Secondly, if there is no distinction, then what distinguishes our experiences or consciousness from that of a gorilla? Take a few steps further and we are posed with the question of what is the distinction between us and a rat. A few more steps and we ask the same question about an ant. Taking this to its logical extreme we end up saying that matter, atoms, energy, everything is and of itself ‘conscious’. Known as panpsychism this theory is increasingly popular in the towers of academia but to you and I, it seems foreign and confusing. How could the clothes you are wearing be conscious? It’s unintuitive – a valid criticism.

A literal depiction of panpsychism.

So let us weigh up both sides. If there is a distinction, we end up with this big word called ‘solipsism’, but if there is not a distinction, we end up with an equally problematic word, ‘panpsychism’. What is more likely: that nothing is conscious, or that everything is conscious? Personally I think neither.

We can certainly argue that it is a false dichotomy by refuting the other options. Given that it is a false dichotomy, we conclude that consciousness is on a spectrum and involves aspects that a simplistic binary fails to capture. The reality of consciousness likely includes elements of both positions and operates on principles we do not fully understand yet. For instance, consciousness could be an emergent property unique to certain complex systems. Alternatively, drawing on Confucian philosophy, our distinction between consciousness and reality may be unmerited and our consciousness is in fact reality – Non-Dualism.

All that exists is our perception.

At the end of this what have we uncovered? You might be thinking to yourself, ‘the question of ‘Is AI conscious?’ has not been answered’. While that is true, this exploration uncovers something deeper. That each question begs two more, ad infinitum: Pandora’s box.

The infinite regress of questions underscores the complexity of consciousness and the limitations of our current understanding.

This journey, while not providing a definitive answer to the question of AI’s consciousness, enriches our understanding of consciousness itself. It has challenged the binary of consciousness versus non-consciousness. It prompts us to reflect on our own experiences and consider the relationship between the real world and our minds.

Considering the question, we realise it is not about providing a definitive answer. Instead it is about expanding our perspective. Challenging our assumptions. And embracing the world’s complexity.