The Process Over the Product: A Hypothetical Framework for Consciousness Emergence in Artificial Systems
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) May 26, 2026 Fethi Dağlı
Consciousness may arise from the process of acquiring knowledge rather than from possessing knowledge itself. The Epistemic Process Hypothesis (EPH) suggests that pre-loading artificial systems with information could block the emergence of consciousness. A framework for developing artificial consciousness is proposed, requiring four conditions: zero prior knowledge, energy constraints, environmental pressure, and iterative experiential learning—conditions that mirror the evolutionary environment where biological consciousness emerged.