Information generation as a functional basis of consciousness.
Neuroscience of Consciousness January 1, 2019 Ryota Kanai, Acer Y. C. Chang, Yen Yu et al.
Consciousness may have evolved because it enables organisms to internally generate representations of events not tied to current sensory input, using generative models built through sensory-motor interactions. This capacity for information generation supports intention, imagination, planning, short-term memory, attention, curiosity, and creativity, all of which contribute to non-reflexive, flexible behavior. The hypothesis aligns with predictive coding, where top-down predictions correspond to information generation, and with empirical evidence that recurrent feedback activations are linked to consciousness while feedforward processing alone occurs without conscious experience. Thus, consciousness provides a biological advantage by allowing internal simulations that endow organisms with intelligent, adaptive behavior.