It is time to give up the dualism introduced by the debate on consciousness
In an article published on Noema Magazine, philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers' famous 'hard problem of consciousness' is challenged. The author contends that the dualism introduced by the debate—separating objective brain processes from subjective experience—is a conceptual mistake. Instead, they advocate for a monistic view where consciousness is an intrinsic property of complex systems, aligning with panpsychism or integrated information theory. This perspective has implications for AI: if consciousness is not a separate phenomenon but a graded property of information processing, then advanced AI systems could be considered conscious to some degree. The article suggests that the field should abandon the search for a unique 'consciousness' mechanism and instead focus on understanding the structure of experience. This could shift research priorities in AI ethics and neuroscience, moving away from the Turing test and toward measures of integrated information.
Challenges the philosophical basis for AI consciousness debates, potentially reshaping research priorities.