[wdiamond]

I guess conscious is the eye of beholder. Its a switch between thinking and acting flopping insanely. Basically all multithread web server+site is a kind of conscious. But the self evolution of thinking is beyond conscious, just like us. Any mammal has conscious, but when the data (culture/static data) can be learned by recognizing abstract patterns linked to body data (reality) it may be able to self develop. I guess we have a lot to do automating processes and middleware interfacing to master transfer of wise between runtime models, runtime data and the core mapping of decisions on a wannabe singularity. The boot of computer language, human language and minimum hardware (boston dynamics?) to a machine have the same kind of freedom that enable us to self learn is the point. If you has no pain data of a robotic body, pain will not be on the scope of that singularity, leading a core with "Hansen disease". But if you capture pain data, you might expect fear behaviours on decision making. In other words its a threat to us that machines could secure itselves cause pain could be an abstract for instance human. We can choose between disposable semi-inteligent machines or a new type of free living being that could enslave us.

Not really interested on birthing a new type of living being too soon. It's not capitalism. But as a tool it can be usefull mocking reality, not surviving to it.

Machines already are good communication tools. Can be good enough processing tools. Not more than enough.