Agnosticism About Artificial Consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive December 17, 2024 via arXiv
Summary
The only scientifically justifiable stance on whether an AI could have conscious experiences is agnosticism. Evidence from the study of conscious organisms does not support either biological views skeptical of artificial consciousness or functional views sympathetic to it. Both camps overestimate what the evidence tells us. Extending scientific insights about consciousness from organisms to AI faces serious obstacles, creating a dilemma: either reach a verdict on artificial consciousness but violate evidentialism, or respect evidentialism but offer no verdict. Following the evidence requires adopting agnosticism.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Cs.ai Artificial intelligence Consciousness studies Machine consciousness |
| Key finding | The only justifiable stance on artificial consciousness is agnosticism, as scientific evidence from conscious organisms cannot be reliably extended to AI. |
Abstract
Could an AI have conscious experiences? Any answer to this question should conform to Evidentialism - that is, it should be based not on intuition, dogma or speculation but on solid scientific evidence. I argue that such evidence is hard to come by and that the only justifiable stance on the prospects of artificial consciousness is agnosticism. In the current debate, the main division is between biological views that are sceptical of artificial consciousness and functional views that are sympathetic to it. I argue that both camps make the same mistake of over-estimating what the evidence tells us. Scientific insights into consciousness have been achieved through the study of conscious organisms. Although this has enabled cautious assessments of consciousness in various creatures, extending this to AI faces serious obstacles. AI thus presents consciousness researchers with a dilemma: either reach a verdict on artificial consciousness but violate Evidentialism; or respect Evidentialism but offer no verdict on the prospects of artificial consciousness. The dominant trend in the literature has been to take the first option while purporting to follow the scientific evidence. I argue that if we truly follow the evidence, we must take the second option and adopt agnosticism.