Researchers argue AI can represent pain and hunger without ever feeling them
gleech · x · 2026-09-19
In an X thread, xuanalogue argues it's time to admit that a system can lack interoceptive states like pain and hunger yet still learn to represent and reason about them — and their metaphorical analogues — purely by learning the associated language, decoupling capability from felt experience. Andrew Curran endorses the view, saying people are long overdue in acknowledging this about our situation. The exchange is a snapshot of the ongoing AI consciousness debate, staking out a pragmatic position with no resolution.
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