Anna Ciaunica argues consciousness is a journey, not a thing — and why AI cannot have it
AnnaCiaunica · x · 2026-10-20
Researcher Anna Ciaunica has published an essay in The Montréal Review's Mind Series, now also available in a Spanish translation by Pablo Abufom on the en el límite Substack.
Key points:
- Consciousness is a process, not a thing. Using the metaphor of climbing a mountain, she argues that when we discuss consciousness we typically stand at the summit describing the view, ignoring the many embodied steps that got us there.
- Every cellular step matters. Reaching the neural 'summit' of the brain requires the participation of the whole living body at the cellular level; no step is more fundamental than another.
- Why AI cannot be conscious: mainstream debates treat consciousness as a static mystery located 'in the head', whereas Ciaunica frames it as a journey that living systems do — an embodied, processual character that current AI systems lack.
The essay situates itself in the embodied-cognition tradition of consciousness philosophy and offers a counterpoint to claims that AI could become conscious.
Related event: Cognitive Scientist Argues AI Programs Cannot Be Conscious(2 posts)→
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