Mark Solms argues consciousness starts in the brainstem, not the cortex, in new ML consciousness book
cccalum · x · 2026-10-07
In an excerpt from the new book "Perspectives on Machine Consciousness," neuroscientist Mark Solms explains that consciousness originates in the brainstem, not the cortex.
The claim has direct implications for machine consciousness debates: if the neural basis of consciousness lies in older brain structures, AI approaches that merely emulate cortical function may need rethinking.
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