I am wondering if the fact that theories of consciousness relate more to the overall architecture of a system rather than to the low-level workings of that system is a limitation that should be strongly considered, particularly if there are other theories that are more focused on low-level cellular functioning. For example, I’ve seen a theory from renowned theoretical physicist Roger Penrose (video below) stating that consciousness is a quantum process. If this is the case, then current computers wouldn’t be conscious because they aren’t quantum devices at the level of individual transistors or circuits. Therefore, no matter what the overall neural architecture is, even in a complicated AI, the system wouldn’t be conscious.
Another interesting point is that the way we incorporate AI into society may be affected by whether the AIs we build are generally sentient. If they are, and we have to respect their rights when developing, implementing, or shutting down such systems; that may create an incentive to do these things more slowly. I think slowing down may be good for the world at large given that plunging into the AI revolution while we still only have this black-box method of designing and training AIs—as in digital neuroscience hasn’t progressed enough for us to decode the neural circuits of AIs so that we know what they’re actually thinking when they make decisions (https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/rJRw78oihoT5paFGd/high-level-hopes-for-ai-alignment)- seems like a very dangerous result.
I am wondering if the fact that theories of consciousness relate more to the overall architecture of a system rather than to the low-level workings of that system is a limitation that should be strongly considered, particularly if there are other theories that are more focused on low-level cellular functioning. For example, I’ve seen a theory from renowned theoretical physicist Roger Penrose (video below) stating that consciousness is a quantum process. If this is the case, then current computers wouldn’t be conscious because they aren’t quantum devices at the level of individual transistors or circuits. Therefore, no matter what the overall neural architecture is, even in a complicated AI, the system wouldn’t be conscious.
Another interesting point is that the way we incorporate AI into society may be affected by whether the AIs we build are generally sentient. If they are, and we have to respect their rights when developing, implementing, or shutting down such systems; that may create an incentive to do these things more slowly. I think slowing down may be good for the world at large given that plunging into the AI revolution while we still only have this black-box method of designing and training AIs—as in digital neuroscience hasn’t progressed enough for us to decode the neural circuits of AIs so that we know what they’re actually thinking when they make decisions (https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/rJRw78oihoT5paFGd/high-level-hopes-for-ai-alignment)- seems like a very dangerous result.