If consciousness influences how a system's states change over time—if it has dynamical relevance—then artificial intelligence systems cannot be conscious. This is because AI systems run on processors like CPUs, GPUs, and TPUs that are designed and verified to follow strict computational dynamics. This design and verification systematically prevent or suppress any deviations, including potential effects that consciousness would have on dynamics. Therefore, if consciousness were dynamically relevant, AI systems would be incapable of being conscious.
A definition is proposed for what a 'mathematical structure of conscious experience' is, linking abstract mathematical entities to the concrete aspects of conscious experience. This definition complements existing approaches that study quality spaces, qualia spaces, or phenomenal spaces. It offers a general method for identifying and investigating structures of conscious experience and may serve as a unifying framework for diverse approaches across fields. The work aims to provide a basis for developing a common formal language to study consciousness.