Unexplainable Will AI ever ... feel?
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Jan 8, 2025 Oshan Jarow, a staff writer at Vox’s Future Perfect, dives deep into the intriguing debate surrounding AI and consciousness. He discusses why some scientists believe AI might soon achieve awareness, while others argue it’s impossible. The conversation explores ethical dilemmas of AI potentially feeling pain and parallels between AI and animal welfare. Jarow raises crucial questions about how we measure consciousness and the implications of developing machines that could genuinely experience emotions.
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Defining Consciousness
- Consciousness is defined as the subjective feeling of what it's like to be you, an internal experience.
- This definition is vague, as neuroscience currently lacks a unifying explanation for consciousness, similar to biology before the theory of evolution.
Can AI Be Conscious?
- Computational functionalists believe consciousness depends on a system's function, not its material, suggesting AI could theoretically become conscious.
- Bio-chauvinists argue that consciousness requires biological material, citing the lack of known non-biological consciousness.
They're Made Out of Meat
- In Terry Bisson's short story, aliens struggle to grasp the concept of meat-based consciousness.
- This highlights human bias, where we find it difficult to imagine consciousness in non-biological forms like machines.
