The Case for Neurons: A No-Go Theorem for Consciousness on a Chip

Kleiner, Johannes ; Ludwig, Tim (2024): The Case for Neurons: A No-Go Theorem for Consciousness on a Chip. Neuroscience of Consciousness, 2024 (1): niae037. ISSN 2057-2107

Abstract

We apply the methodology of no-go theorems as developed in physics to the question of artificial consciousness. The result is a no-go theorem which shows that under a general assumption, called dynamical relevance, AI systems that run on contemporary computer chips cannot be conscious. Consciousness is dynamically relevant, simply put, if according to a theory of consciousness it is relevant for the temporal evolution of a system's states. The no-go theorem rests on facts about semiconductor development: that AI systems run on CPUs, GPUs, TPUs or other processors which have been designed and verified to adhere to computational dynamics that systematically preclude or suppress deviations. Whether or not our result resolves the question of AI consciousness on contemporary processors depends on the truth of the theorem's main assumption, dynamical relevance, which this paper does not establish.

• Dokumententyp: Artikel (LMU)
• Organisationseinheit (Fakultäten): 10 Philosophie, Wissenschaftstheorie und Religionswissenschaft > Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftstheorie
• DFG-Fachsystematik der Wissenschaftsbereiche: Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften
• DFG: Gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - 491502892