source: sciencedaily ai: scientists are seriously asking if bees and chatgpt are conscious

level: research

scientists are moving beyond judging consciousness by behavior alone. two new papers examine the possibility of consciousness in animals and ai by looking at underlying mechanisms. one paper, in trends in cognitive sciences, proposes a list of structural indicators for ai consciousness based on information processing. these include resolving trade-offs between competing goals and the presence of informational feedback. the conclusion is that no existing ai, including chatgpt, is conscious, because its appearance of consciousness does not arise from processes similar to those in humans.

a second paper, in philosophical transactions b, presents a neural model for minimal consciousness in insects. it abstracts away from anatomical details to focus on core computations that simple brains perform. the key is identifying the kind of computation that gives rise to experience, which solves ancient problems from having a mobile body with many senses and conflicting needs. this approach provides a level playing field to compare humans, invertebrates, and computers, though the exact computation remains to be discovered.

both fields converge on the same lesson: how something works is more informative than what it does when judging consciousness. for animals, ambiguous behavior like a crab tending its wounds requires mechanistic insight. for ai, apparently conscious behavior like a chatbot discussing existence may be mere roleplay. this shift has ethical implications, as expanding the sphere of consciousness means expanding moral consideration. the precautionary principle suggests erring on the side of caution, but structural evidence is key.

why it matters: understanding consciousness through mechanisms rather than behavior helps ai developers and researchers avoid falsely attributing consciousness to machines and guides ethical treatment of potentially conscious animals.

source: sciencedaily ai: scientists are seriously asking if bees and chatgpt are conscious