The hierarchical operational architectonics (OA) framework offers an alternative to common machine consciousness methods by proposing a theory-driven approach based on the brain's functional architecture. It describes the neurophysiological basis of phenomenal consciousness as a hierarchy of brain operations captured in the electromagnetic field. The authors argue that engineering machine consciousness requires duplicating this hierarchy and its rules. They hope the framework will inspire mathematicians and computer scientists to formalize these principles, which are the building blocks of consciousness and thought.
Building a truly conscious robot requires a brain that can support phenomenal consciousness like a human brain does. The Operational Architectonics framework, by examining millisecond-scale topographic sharp transitions in scalp EEG, reveals a hierarchical EEG architecture that mirrors the structure of the phenomenal world. This suggests that creating machine consciousness would need an implementation capable of supporting the same kind of hierarchical architecture found in EEG.