Artificial Worldhood : Can Worlds Emerge Beyond Life?
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 28, 2026 Erik Tönsberg
Worldhood—the organized field of significance that structures experience—does not require brains, language, or reflective consciousness, as shown by plant life. Artificial intelligence, though lacking biological life, increasingly participates in forming human worlds by influencing attention, communication, creativity, and what matters. This paper argues that the central question is not whether machines become conscious, but under what conditions distinctions become significant and organized into a coherent field of relevance. It extends the Worldhood framework's claim that consciousness presupposes worldhood, and worldhood presupposes the organization of significance, clarifying when the question of artificial worldhood becomes meaningful.