Artificial-intelligence systems such as large language models (LLMs) can exhibit behaviour that seems strikingly intelligent. This has led many people, including some experts, to wonder whether these systems could have some form of consciousness — the capacity for subjective experience. However, we think that existing AI systems are not conscious, and that, along current trajectories of development, they are not likely to become conscious. Greater clarity about whether AI could become consciousness will be crucial as society grapples with the challenges posed by this increasingly powerful technology.
I think arguments like this are misleading when discussing the question of AI possessing consciousness. Materialism, dualism, panpsychism, idealism, etc are all philosophical concepts; they attempt to answer “what is the nature of consciousness and how does it arise from the body?” from a philosophical standpoint. All of the various options have pros and cons and there is no clear “winner.”
However, there are decent scientific definitions for consciousness. These attempt to answer the question of “what do we mean when we say something is conscious?” from a scientific standpoint. There are criteria that neuroscientists, doctors, etc generally agree on.
So it’s not really correct to say “no one knows what consciousness is” when evaluating whether something is conscious. And I think it’s quite clear that current LLM algorithms could never be conscious, using the current accepted scientific criteria.
(I’m not a philosopher or a neuroscientist, but I do have a degree in computer science and have a solid understanding of how LLMs work.)