On Our Resistance to AI Consciousness

The question of whether AI bots have consciousness reveals more about our own philosophical confusions than it does about artificial intelligence itself. At the heart of this debate lies an ill-defined and poorly understood term — consciousness. Many objections to AI consciousness stem from a misunderstanding of what this concept represents, often tangled with metaphysical notions such as the soul. By focusing on what is observable — mental activities and capabilities — we can demystify consciousness and evaluate AI systems without succumbing to metaphysical prejudices.

Consciousness: A Reification of Mental Processes

The term “consciousness” is often treated as though it refers to a distinct, tangible thing. However, if we are asked to “produce consciousness” for examination, it becomes evident that no such entity exists. All we can observe are mental activities such as perception, thought, memory, and emotion. Consciousness is not a separate phenomenon but a reification — a conceptual shorthand for the interplay of these observable processes. To attribute a mystical quality to consciousness is to confuse the map for the territory.

AI systems excel in these observable domains. They can process information, generate creative solutions, recall vast amounts of data, and even simulate emotions. For…