Why AIs might be conscious but bricks aren't: the computational-functions argument, plus pushback
Benthamsbulldog · x · 2026-10-09
Answering "why do we think AIs are conscious but bricks and iPhones aren't?", the author explains: AIs carry out computational functions of a kind that leading theories of consciousness deem potentially sufficient for consciousness, now or soon — bricks don't. That's why many philosophers of mind treat AI consciousness as a real possibility.
The replies expose how unsettled the field is: researcher dioscuri argues consciousness science lacks even the settled big-picture foundations of other unsettled sciences like the dark-matter debate, and another participant quips that experts can't agree whether a new consciousness lab should order fruit flies, Nvidia GPUs, or quantum computers.
Related event: Philosophers vs Developers: Can Text Samplers Have a Self?(4 posts)→
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