I guess I’d just say, yes a cloud can be conscious if it reaches some level of complexity (which I don’t think clouds do). The mapping and substrate are not irrelevant. There has to be some kind of complex network that produces mental states (but I haven’t looked into theories of consciousness much). I don’t see how this proves the impossibility of simulating consciousness though.
I guess I’d just say, yes a cloud can be conscious if it reaches some level of complexity (which I don’t think clouds do). The mapping and substrate are not irrelevant. There has to be some kind of complex network that produces mental states (but I haven’t looked into theories of consciousness much). I don’t see how this proves the impossibility of simulating consciousness though.