One of the most fascinating discussions around artificial intelligence, is on the topic of consciousness. People are asking whether AI will one day become conscious. That’s a valid question, but what is consciousness and where does it come from?
Fact is, there is no answer to that. We simply don’t know. No field of science has yet found an explanation for the phenomenon of consciousness. There are only attempts to conceptualize it, but the evidence is at best conflicting.
The materialistic approach would be to define consciousness as an emergent property of the brain. Scientists in that school of thought try to explain consciousness as the result of some bio-chemical processes of the brain. So, first there is just matter. Then, from some evolved properties that matter produces consciousness.
However, there are experiments that point to the opposite relationship. First there is consciousness, then there is matter. Some deduce from quantum theory that without a conscious observer, the universe in in a state of probability. Only through the existence of consciousness, the probability function collapses into a specific state – in other words, our visible reality. Panpsychists even go as far as assuming that everything is conscious on some level, even subatomic particles.
Maybe one day a sufficiently evolved AI will be able to give us some answers to these fundamental questions? Maybe AI consciousness will differ from ours?
Whatever the case, my takeaway from such discussions is that it is a beautiful thing to be conscious. To be capable of abstract thought. To be able to envision a future that does not exist yet. To be wildly creative and to build things just by the power of imagination. We humans are wonderful beings – or at least have the potential to be!