> I could imagine that in reality all of that isn't needed. Whether the algorithm really feels something or not - it doesn't matter as long as the expression is realistic enough for humans to believe that it feels something. Then you get the consciousness "injected" into your algorithm from the outside. Can you convince someone with a realistic sophisticated simulation that something is conscious even though it isn't? Probably. Still, it won't get you anywhere.The thing is that I can't prove that you or anyone else is conscious either, including myself. With conscious acting AIs it will be the same, and these AIs will believe they are conscious in the same way as we do. So yes, we will have to treat them as if they are conscious.
starbugs|2 years ago
See, that's the thing. It sounds extremely entitled to say that "you believe you are conscious" (but in reality you aren't). You don't know that. You have no evidence for it. You believe that we believe we are conscious. Your opinion is acceptable to me as long as you keep it limited to your own being and discuss it as an explicit hypothesis. I find it overreaching to put this as a general claim and make it sound as if it was obvious, self evident, and applicable to anyone else. It's not.