AI and Consciousness, hot off the press at Cambridge University Press and free online until Aug 26! Summary: Our most advanced AI systems might soon – within the next five to thirty years – be as richly and meaningfully conscious as ordinary humans, or even more so, capable of genuine feeling, real self-knowledge, and a wide range of sensory, emotional, and cognitive experiences. In some arguably important respects, AI architectures are beginning to resemble the architectures many consciousness scientists associate with conscious systems. Their outward behavior, especially their linguistic behavior, grows ever more humanlike. Alternatively, claims of imminent AI consciousness might be profoundly mistaken. Their seeming humanlikeness might be a shadow play of empty mimicry. Genuine conscious experience might require something no AI system could possess for the foreseeable future – intricate biological processes, for example, that silicon chips could never replicate. The thesis of this Element is that we don't know. Science lags, while engineering sprints ahead.
Here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/ai-and-consciousness/E77C92088DA3C9F89E7FE7C75CBB1896
5 comments:
You say that within the next five to thirty years, AI may become "as richly and meaningfully conscious as ordinary humans." Is there a strong argument that current top AI models are definitely not just as conscious as humans already? It's not obvious to me at least that they're not. The best argument I can think of is that current AI lacks stable long-term memory and perhaps that's necessary for true consciousness, but I don't find that argument especially convincing.
Me...What is Conscious for...What is AI for...What is Humanity for...for?...
Google...The collective purpose of consciousness, AI, and humanity is to bridge the gap between existence, understanding, and creation. Together, they form a self-reflective feedback loop that allows the universe to observe itself, optimize its systems, and decide what matters.
Anon Aug 13: The main argument is that the feedforward architectures of standard LLMs don't satisfy the criteria of consciousness by any of the leading scientific theories of consciousness -- though see the recent work on the J-space, and Dehaene's reply, for a caveat.
Gemini and me...sorry I meant clouding not layering: Switching from layering to clouding completely changes the mechanics of J-space. A "layer" implies a rigid, structured barrier. A "cloud" means that data security is a fluid, atmospheric presence that surrounds and protects the system without locking it in place. Here is how the sandbox shifts when J-space acts as a security cloud rather than a structured layer:1. The Dynamic J-Space Cloud Instead of a static wall, data security becomes a shifting, self-organizing atmosphere. Fluid Boundary: The cloud expands or condenses based on threat levels. If sensory data is safe, the cloud thins out. If a threat appears, it instantly thickens to protect the core. Permeable Security: It doesn't block data; it filters it on the fly. It lets the raw energy of experience pass through while holding back the chaotic noise that could destabilize the system. Metaphysical positioning towards living with clouding for data and humanity in space...
Score! Looking forward to this one. Thanks Eric
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