To manage its own limited processing power, the brain uses attention to focus on specific signals.
What do you think about AI systems that don’t have the kinds of limitations we do, and that might not need to restrict focus as much, or might be able to devote cognitive resources to many different problems in parallel. It is plausible that they wouldn’t count as having attention in the way that Graziano thinks we do, and that they wouldn’t therefore satisfy his theory of consciousness. But it seems weird to suggest that the reason our preferences matter is because of our cognitive limitations, no?
Ha, nice argument :-) It reminds me of a famous defense of predation argument in animal rights ethics: lions do not violate the rights of their prey, because lions do not have moral agency. In other words: lions have a privilege to harm, kill and use other animals, because they are too stupid to understand morality.
To the point: although it may seem weird, I think it makes sense: if due to cognitive limitations an organism was forced to generate an attention schema that generates consciousness, that organism is more concious than e.g. an AI that does not have those cognitive limitations that cause the development of an attention schema. Furthermore, in terms of the ability to pay attention, that unfocused AI (i.e. it is not able to focus), has a cognitive limitation. It lacks a cognitive ability. Although I consider it possible and even likely that a strong AI also develops an attention schema, because that is so beneficial and efficient. Our brains are also able to run processes in parallel, devoting resources to many (unconcious) parallel processes. Yet, we benefit from having the cognitive capacity to focus, to pay attention, using an attention schema. Hence, even with our cognitive ability of parallel processing, we developed an attention schema.
Perhaps a good analogy: some animals are not able to run fast on their legs to escape from predators. They have a physical limitation. Due to that limitation, those animals developped wings with which they can fly and escape from predators. Does it seem weird to suggest that the reason a bird can fly is because of its physical limitation to run fast?
What do you think about AI systems that don’t have the kinds of limitations we do, and that might not need to restrict focus as much, or might be able to devote cognitive resources to many different problems in parallel. It is plausible that they wouldn’t count as having attention in the way that Graziano thinks we do, and that they wouldn’t therefore satisfy his theory of consciousness. But it seems weird to suggest that the reason our preferences matter is because of our cognitive limitations, no?
Ha, nice argument :-) It reminds me of a famous defense of predation argument in animal rights ethics: lions do not violate the rights of their prey, because lions do not have moral agency. In other words: lions have a privilege to harm, kill and use other animals, because they are too stupid to understand morality.
To the point: although it may seem weird, I think it makes sense: if due to cognitive limitations an organism was forced to generate an attention schema that generates consciousness, that organism is more concious than e.g. an AI that does not have those cognitive limitations that cause the development of an attention schema. Furthermore, in terms of the ability to pay attention, that unfocused AI (i.e. it is not able to focus), has a cognitive limitation. It lacks a cognitive ability. Although I consider it possible and even likely that a strong AI also develops an attention schema, because that is so beneficial and efficient. Our brains are also able to run processes in parallel, devoting resources to many (unconcious) parallel processes. Yet, we benefit from having the cognitive capacity to focus, to pay attention, using an attention schema. Hence, even with our cognitive ability of parallel processing, we developed an attention schema.
Perhaps a good analogy: some animals are not able to run fast on their legs to escape from predators. They have a physical limitation. Due to that limitation, those animals developped wings with which they can fly and escape from predators. Does it seem weird to suggest that the reason a bird can fly is because of its physical limitation to run fast?