Science & Tech · AI · 6 hrs ago

Researchers debate whether AI could show signs of consciousness

Philosophers and neuroscientists gathered in the Galapagos to discuss which beings or systems might have an inner life.

The debate includes humans, animals and chatbots such as Claude.

A key distinction is between information we can notice and use, and the subjective experience of what it feels like to see or hear something.

One theory says the brain makes information conscious when it brings it into a shared workspace, where other brain processes can use it.

Anthropic recently argued that Claude had developed something similar to this global workspace.

That could point to a form of artificial consciousness, but the article says it remains highly unlikely that AI has experiences like people do.

Researchers hope that studying these possible signs can help clarify how human minds differ from machines.

What people are saying

It’s the defining topic of our era that we will have to grapple with practically and socially

Ned Blockphilosopher at New York Universityvia New Scientist

We can take [an event] that was extraordinarily brief, like a shooting star, and think about it for as long as needed

Stanislas Dehaenecognitive neuroscientist at the Collège de Francevia New Scientist

New Scientist · 6 hrs ago