Properties for the Emergence of Consciousness in Humans and AI, an Interdisciplinary Review

Consciousness in artificial intelligence is compared to human consciousness by examining properties such as attention, cognition, perception, emotion, embodiment, creativity, and self-awareness. Current AI systems partially or functionally represent all of these except self-awareness, which remains uniquely human. A theoretical framework for artificial consciousness is proposed, categorizing components like affective computing, integrated perception, self-model, cognition, embodied cognition, attention, and creative processing. The ethical and social implications of potential artificial consciousness are emphasized and reflected upon.

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Abstract

This research explores the question of consciousness in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by comparing the properties required for human consciousness with those found in current AI systems, through an interdisciplinary integrative review involving computational functionalism, neuroscience, and phenomenology. The following properties for the emergence of human consciousness are discussed: attention, cognition, perception, emotion, embodiment, creativity, and self-awareness. All of these are partially or functionally represented in AI, except self-awareness, which remains a distinctly human trait. This paper presents a theoretical framework for artificial consciousness (AC) based on an analysis of these properties, proposing the following categories: affective computing, integrated perception, self-model, cognition, embodied cognition, attention and creative processing, emphasizing and reflecting on the ethical and social implications of potential AC.