Consciousness may require being alive: Anil Seth's case against conscious AI
ValerioCapraro · x · 2026-09-18
Consciousness scientist Anil K. Seth argues in Behavioral and Brain Sciences ("Conscious artificial intelligence and biological naturalism") that consciousness may be inseparable from life itself.
- Core claim: A biological neuron is not simply an input-output computer; it is a living cell that regulates its chemistry, consumes energy, repairs itself, and maintains the conditions of its own existence — properties that may be necessary for consciousness.
- Structure: The paper covers why we might think AI could be conscious, the relation between computation and mind, the case for biological naturalism, possible scenarios for real artificial consciousness, and what we should (not) do about it.
- Implication: If biological naturalism holds, silicon-based AI may in principle never have subjective experience, shaping debates on AI welfare, moral status, and safety.
More from AGI Musings
- Alpha School investigation: 17 campuses on probation, Bill Ackman as shadow lead, Holmes involved — benjaminjriley · 2026-11-02
- Google's chief economist: AI will transform more jobs than it kills — gains come from redesigning workflows — danielrock · 2026-11-02
- Daniel Lemire: AI is exploding demand for boring compute, server CPUs to double — lemire · 2026-11-02
- Alignment researcher: the word "aligned" implies consistencies that don't exist — davidmanheim · 2026-11-02
- By 2035, Indian Parents Will Ask How Many Agents You Manage, Not Your Salary — theteknosaur · 2026-11-02
- Under 5% of US consumers pay for AI, yet compute demand is already forcing usage cuts — NinaDSchick · 2026-11-02