Stated Clearly | What is Consciousness? @StatedClearly | Uploaded 3 months ago | Updated 18 hours ago
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The Hard Problem of Consciousness:
The "hard problem" of consciousness is about figuring out why we have experiences that feel like something. For instance, why is eating a strawberry an experience, rather than just triggering an robotic "this food is nourishing must eat more" message inside the brain. Why must the "lights be on" when our brains process information? We don't think computers personally experience their existence.
While science can explain what happens in our brain when we do things, it can’t yet explain why those actions come with specific feelings, or what it feels like to be you experiencing them.
Why Does It Matter today more than ever?
Now that we’re building advanced artificial intelligences, this question gets even trickier and more important. If we make machines that think and process information like us, should we consider the possibility they might also 'feel' like us? Why or why not? How we answer this affects how we handle AI, ethically and legally—like deciding whether AI can suffer, or if it has rights.
What if we assume consciousness where there is none?
People have a knack for seeing sentience/consciousness where it doesn't exist. The shadow on the wall is demon. The whistling wind is a ghost. This means there's a real risk that we could mistakenly attribute consciousness to AI, thinking machines have feelings or awareness when they actually don't. Imagine the chaos that could be caused by a social justice movement for robots founded on bad info? We’re wired to humanize things—so much so that simply sticking googly eyes on a toaster might make you apologize to it if bumped on the counter.
The Implications: If we’re not careful, this tendency could lead us to believe that AI systems, especially those designed to mimic human behavior, possess a form of consciousness. This could push us towards granting them rights or ethical considerations akin to those we provide humans, based on our mistaken assumptions.
Different Ways People Think About Consciousness:
Just a Side Effect: Some experts think consciousness might just be a side effect of our brains doing their complex work. It’s like the whistle of a teapot isn’t necessary for boiling water, but it happens because of the design.
A Helpful Tool: Others believe our ability to be aware and feel things helps us survive better, making decisions and working with others easier, which would mean it evolved for a reason.
Something Totally New: Then, there are those who say consciousness is something totally different and new, something we might not yet fully understand, maybe even requiring new laws of physics or ideas we haven’t discovered.
As we dive deeper into making and integrating AI, understanding consciousness isn’t just academic—it’s a must to see that we handle the future of AI in a fair and responsible way. Whether it’s an accident, a survival tool, or something mind-blowingly new, figuring out this piece of the puzzle has more practical value now than ever.
Consider supporting my work on patreon.com/statedclearly
The Hard Problem of Consciousness:
The "hard problem" of consciousness is about figuring out why we have experiences that feel like something. For instance, why is eating a strawberry an experience, rather than just triggering an robotic "this food is nourishing must eat more" message inside the brain. Why must the "lights be on" when our brains process information? We don't think computers personally experience their existence.
While science can explain what happens in our brain when we do things, it can’t yet explain why those actions come with specific feelings, or what it feels like to be you experiencing them.
Why Does It Matter today more than ever?
Now that we’re building advanced artificial intelligences, this question gets even trickier and more important. If we make machines that think and process information like us, should we consider the possibility they might also 'feel' like us? Why or why not? How we answer this affects how we handle AI, ethically and legally—like deciding whether AI can suffer, or if it has rights.
What if we assume consciousness where there is none?
People have a knack for seeing sentience/consciousness where it doesn't exist. The shadow on the wall is demon. The whistling wind is a ghost. This means there's a real risk that we could mistakenly attribute consciousness to AI, thinking machines have feelings or awareness when they actually don't. Imagine the chaos that could be caused by a social justice movement for robots founded on bad info? We’re wired to humanize things—so much so that simply sticking googly eyes on a toaster might make you apologize to it if bumped on the counter.
The Implications: If we’re not careful, this tendency could lead us to believe that AI systems, especially those designed to mimic human behavior, possess a form of consciousness. This could push us towards granting them rights or ethical considerations akin to those we provide humans, based on our mistaken assumptions.
Different Ways People Think About Consciousness:
Just a Side Effect: Some experts think consciousness might just be a side effect of our brains doing their complex work. It’s like the whistle of a teapot isn’t necessary for boiling water, but it happens because of the design.
A Helpful Tool: Others believe our ability to be aware and feel things helps us survive better, making decisions and working with others easier, which would mean it evolved for a reason.
Something Totally New: Then, there are those who say consciousness is something totally different and new, something we might not yet fully understand, maybe even requiring new laws of physics or ideas we haven’t discovered.
As we dive deeper into making and integrating AI, understanding consciousness isn’t just academic—it’s a must to see that we handle the future of AI in a fair and responsible way. Whether it’s an accident, a survival tool, or something mind-blowingly new, figuring out this piece of the puzzle has more practical value now than ever.
