Anil Seth

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop, it is natural to ask whether AI systems can be not only intelligent, but also conscious. I consider why some people think AI might develop consciousness, identifying some biases that lead us astray. I ask what it would take for conscious AI to be a realistic prospect, pushing back against some common assumptions such as the notion that computation provides a sufficient basis for consciousness. I’ll instead make the case for taking seriously the possibility that consciousness might depend on our nature as living organisms – a form of biological naturalism. I will end by exploring some wider issues including testing for consciousness in AI, and ethical considerations arising from AI that either actually is, or convincingly seems to be, conscious.

Read the full article at: osf.io

• Papers