Anil Seth makes the case for biological naturalism: conscious AI may need to be alive
ValerioCapraro · x · 2026-09-18
Neuroscientist Anil Seth builds the case for "biological naturalism": consciousness may be inseparable from being alive.
Key points:
- A biological neuron is not an input-output computer but a living cell that regulates its chemistry, consumes energy, repairs itself, and preserves its own existence
- This autopoiesis may be the critical divergence between organisms and AI: staying alive forces an organism to predict and correct deviations to minimize risk of death
- This may explain the character of conscious experience: perception infers the world, emotions track whether internal conditions support survival
- Conscious AI may be possible, but it would require a machine that is not merely intelligent but in some sense alive
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