2023-09-05 06:32:48
Are computers becoming sentient beings? Could there be different degrees of consciousness as we understand it? Are there overlapping components of subjective experience between humans, animals, and intelligent machines »? This is the question explored by nineteen researchers from the United States, England, Israel, Canada, France and Australia in a report published on August 22 on arXiv [1].
Indicators defined from six theories of consciousness
After one ” deep analyze of many theories of consciousness, the report’s authors conclude that AI systems [2] are not aware, at least not yet “. They restricted the theories to six of them, which they consider ” convincing indicators of the existence of conscious entities.
Our analysis ” suggests that there are no obvious technical barriers to building AI systems that satisfy these indicators says Patrick Butlin, one of the authors.
“Aware” AI in the short term?
Among them, ” the recurrent processing theory, according to which the brain processes information through feedback loops ». « Through these loops, the brain can adapt to changing circumstances, adjust its perceptions, and make more informed decisions. This iterative behavior is essential for memory formation and the acquisition of new knowledge.. »
Another ” key concept ” is here ” higher order theory “, which can be summarized as ” awareness of being aware ». « Higher-order theories are distinguished from others by their emphasis on the idea that for a mental state to be conscious, the subject must be aware of being in that mental state, and by the way in which they propose to account for this consciousness », points out Patrick Butlin.
« We are publishing this report in part because we take seriously the possibility that sentient AI systems might be built in the relatively short term, i.e. within the next few decades. “says the researcher. And ” these perspectives raise profound moral and social questions ».
[1] Patrick Butlin et al, Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2308.08708
[2] Artificial intelligence
Source : Tech Xplore, Peter Grad (30/08/2023)
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