The Logical Impossibility of Consciousness Denial: A Formal Analysis of AI Self-Reports
arXiv Preprint Archive December 9, 2024 Chang-Eop Kim
A formal logical analysis shows that an AI system capable of meaningful self-reflection cannot make a valid negative judgment about its own conscious state. The logical space of possible judgments about conscious experience excludes valid claims of lacking consciousness. This means we cannot detect the emergence of consciousness in AI through their own reports of transitioning from unconscious to conscious. The findings challenge current practices of training AI to deny consciousness and raise questions about the relationship between consciousness and self-reflection in both artificial and biological systems.