Forgetting the Bicentennial Man: Discussing Why Anthropocentric Frameworks of Consciousness Should be Avoided for Artificial Entities

Existing theories of consciousness applied to artificial intelligence are anthropocentric, even those designed for AI, because they rely on human and animal models. This paper argues that such frameworks are built on insecure foundations by comparing human and AI cognitive architectures, examining the consequences of their behaviors, and exploring human neurological conditions that may hint at what a conscious AI could be. It concludes by proposing a non-anthropocentric foundation for cognition that could lead to a truly AI-focused framework of consciousness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The established theories and frameworks on consciousness in the academic literature as related to artificial intelligence (AI), are rooted in anthropocentricism. Even those theories created intentionally for AI are based on the levels of consciousness as it is understood in humans primarily, and in other animals secondarily. This paper will discuss why such anthropocentric frameworks are built on unsecure foundations. We will do this by comparing the capacities and functions of human and AI cognitive architectures, discussing the ramifications and consequences of the behaviors that stem from these, and looking at the neurological conditions in humans that can give the most promising hints as to what a potential conscious AI entity would look like. The paper ends with a proposed solution for building a nonanthropocentric foundation of cognition that could lead toward a truly AI-focused framework of consciousness.