LLM consciousness debate: if LLMs are functionally equivalent, burden of proof is on deniers
mathemagic1an · x · 2026-10-05
In a reply to joshalbrecht, mathemagic1an pushes back on the 'digital systems can't be conscious' argument: computers exist in the physical world too, differing only in substrate and mechanism; since LLMs are nearly functionally equivalent to humans on the cognitive plane, the burden of proof lies with those claiming an underlying difference. Copyability is orthogonal to consciousness — and the original lookup-table argument was built to show that input/output behavior alone can't settle the question.
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