Current AI is not conscious
Is today’s AI conscious? Philosopher Ned Block says no, and he’s not alone in finding the question harder than it looks. In this Mini Philosophy live conversation, Block, Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University, joins Jonny Thomson to discuss whether consciousness depends on computation alone or requires particular physical processes. Block draws a line between phenomenal…
Philosopher Ned Block asserts that current artificial intelligence is not conscious. He is not the only one who finds the question of AI consciousness challenging. In a live discussion, Block, a Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University, joins Jonny Thomson to explore the nature of consciousness and its relationship with computation.
Block distinguishes between two types of consciousness: phenomenal consciousness, which refers to the subjective experience of an event, and access consciousness, which denotes the information being processed and broadcast within the mind's cognitive systems. He argues that AI models might exhibit signs of access consciousness but lack the first type of consciousness.
During their conversation, they delve into philosophical concepts such as dualism, idealism, and panpsychism, question the scientific study of consciousness, explain the functioning of neural networks and backpropagation, debate AI's capacity for creativity, and ponder whether AI can possess ethical responsibility given the uncertainty surrounding its consciousness.
The discussion also touches on the biological basis of naturalism and the level of consciousness in animals compared to artificial intelligence.
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