Intelligence as a Measure of Consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive August 30, 2023 Peer reviewed via arXiv
Summary
Evaluating artificial systems for signs of consciousness is increasingly pressing, and a rigorous psychometric measurement framework may be crucial for assessing large language models. Most prominent theories of consciousness argue for different kinds of information coupling as necessary for human-like consciousness. By comparing information coupling in human and animal brains, cognitive development, emergent abilities, and mental representation development to analogous phenomena in large language models, the author argues that psychometric measures of intelligence, such as the g-factor or IQ, indirectly approximate the extent of conscious experience. Based on scientific and metaphysical theories, all systems possess a degree of consciousness ascertainable psychometrically, and psychometric measures may gauge relative similarities of conscious experiences across artificial and human systems.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Psychometric measures of intelligence indirectly approximate the extent of conscious experience, and all systems possess a degree of consciousness ascertainable psychometrically. |
Abstract
Evaluating artificial systems for signs of consciousness is increasingly becoming a pressing concern, and a rigorous psychometric measurement framework may be of crucial importance in evaluating large language models in this regard. Most prominent theories of consciousness, both scientific and metaphysical, argue for different kinds of information coupling as a necessary component of human-like consciousness. By comparing information coupling in human and animal brains, human cognitive development, emergent abilities, and mental representation development to analogous phenomena in large language models, I argue that psychometric measures of intelligence, such as the g-factor or IQ, indirectly approximate the extent of conscious experience. Based on a broader source of both scientific and metaphysical theories of consciousness, I argue that all systems possess a degree of consciousness ascertainable psychometrically and that psychometric measures of intelligence may be used to gauge relative similarities of conscious experiences across disparate systems, be they artificial or human.