Tononi and Koch argue IIT implies humans have genuine free will, not an illusion
burny_tech · x · 2026-10-19
Neuroscientists Giulio Tononi, Christof Koch, and colleagues present an essay on arXiv arguing that if Integrated Information Theory (IIT) correctly explains consciousness, then free will is real, not an illusion.
Key points:
- IIT accounts for consciousness as a maximum of cause-effect power in the brain, with the quality of experience shaped by how that power is structured.
- Building on an "intrinsic powers" ontology — what absolutely exists, in physical terms, are intrinsic entities, and only what exists can cause — the authors argue we genuinely have alternatives, reasons, and values, and make decisions.
- The striking conclusion: we ourselves, not our neurons or atoms, are the cause of our willed actions and bear responsibility for them.
The paper (arXiv:2206.02069) was first submitted in June 2022 and updated to v5 in September 2026. The argument is also relevant to debates on AI consciousness and machine agency.
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