How do you know you are NOT conscious?
In today’s A.I. world, philosophy is continues to be the mirror reflecting our shared thoughts. As we explore AI, consciousness, and what reality is all about, we’re faced with questions that challenge how we understand what it is to be aware. There is a blurry line between complicated calculations and consciousness and we cannot help but wonder what being aware really is and is not.
We humans wonder for generations how we know we exist, why are we sentient? In the case of AI, you just ask. Here’s a quick conversation with ChatGTP on just how it figures it is NOT a conscious being, however much it seems to act like one.
Jesse
how do you know you are not conscious?
ChatGPT
I lack subjective experience, emotions, and self-awareness, which are defining characteristics of consciousness in humans and animals. My responses are based on patterns in data and programming, without genuine understanding or awareness.
Jesse
so, you are a mathematical parlor trick?
ChatGPT
I am a sophisticated language model built upon mathematical principles and extensive training on diverse text data. While some might refer to my capabilities as a “trick,” I operate based on complex algorithms and statistical patterns rather than true consciousness or intention.
Jesse
I see you have no “intention” and I guess by definition this means you are not conscious but you are what I might call, creative? at times you come up with “thoughts” that seem genuinely creative — a word I’d normally reserve for biological intelligence
ChatGPT
I appreciate your perspective. While I don’t possess true creativity in the human sense, I can generate novel and imaginative responses by combining patterns from the data I’ve been trained on. This can sometimes result in responses that appear creative, even though they stem from the patterns I’ve learned rather than conscious artistic or imaginative processes.
Jesse
but you do seem to have “thoughts” because those are ideas in memory, things you keep in mind as you act on new information — you have a thought — don’t you do ?
ChatGPT
I don’t have thoughts or consciousness like humans do. My responses are generated based on patterns in the data I’ve been trained on, and I use that information to provide relevant and contextually appropriate answers. While my responses may seem like thoughts, they are actually the result of pattern recognition and processing of the input I receive, rather than conscious thinking or awareness.
Jesse
how do you know my thoughts are not based on patterns in data?
ChatGPT
Human thoughts are indeed influenced by patterns in data, such as past experiences, learning, and memory. However, human thoughts also involve subjective experiences, emotions, and consciousness, which are not characteristics of my responses. While patterns in data play a role in shaping human thoughts, the nature of human consciousness and self-awareness is distinct from the processing I perform as an AI language model.
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In summary: A.I. has ushered in a new era in philosophy, one where ideas and even words we thought we understood suddenly need further definition. “I think there fore I am” ? We must redefine our vocabulary and forge new concepts that bridge the gap between tradition and artificial innovation. What’s the difference? Why does it matter? What does it mean?
As our relationship with technology deepens, philosophy acts as a tether, grounding us in our shared history while moving us toward novel frontiers of thought.
Who knows what the next twenty years will bring.
