Essay challenges AI's computational functionalism: artificial consciousness may be impossible
sebkrier · x · 2026-11-09
Paul de Font-Reaulx's long-form essay "Might matter matter for consciousness?" pushes back against the computational functionalism widely assumed in the AI world, arguing skepticism about artificial consciousness deserves more credit.
- AI-circle consensus holds consciousness is achievable: Dario Amodei says "uploading is almost certainly possible in principle" and Geoffrey Hinton sees "no reason" AI won't be conscious
- The author rebuts the "simulation isn't granular enough" objection: modeling every atom of Jupiter wouldn't make a datacenter running the simulation generate Jupiter's gravity
- Core argument: we conflate two notions of "function/simulation" — a wide one covering any causal effect and the narrow computational one functionalists care about; disentangling them forces a deeper question of what "computation" even means
- High stakes either way: artificial consciousness enables digital immortality but risks creating suffering digital beings
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