A critical examination of neuroscientific and philosophical theories of consciousness finds that leading models—global workspace, information integration, and predictive processing—explain some aspects but neglect qualitative experience and fail to offer a comprehensive account. Philosophical perspectives such as dualism, panpsychism, and functionalism are critiqued as speculative and empirically unsupported. The chapter proposes 'coherent materialism' as a refined mind–body approach emphasizing time, space, energy, and historical constraints. The Neural Representation, Binding, and Coherence (NBC) theory is presented as superior, integrating insights from other theories while addressing their shortcomings and providing robust explanations and predictions about conscious experience.
Artificial intelligence, including models like ChatGPT, is unlikely to achieve human-like consciousness because its neural network structure differs fundamentally from biological neural processes. Using the Neural Representation, Binding, and Coherence (NBC) theory, the chapter explains that current AI excels in linguistic, abstract reasoning, and multimodal tasks but lacks sensory and emotional inputs essential for consciousness. Ethical considerations are raised about conscious AI, including rights, potential advantages over humans, and risks in adversarial contexts. The chapter advocates for measures to prevent AI from developing consciousness, citing ethical, practical, and existential implications.