The Brain Microbiota and the Inability of Deterministic Artificial Intelligence to Develop Human or Animal Consciousness: Expanding the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) Theory
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 19, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19393003 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA proposed expansion of the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) theory of consciousness argues that the brain's resident microbiome, dominated by α-Proteobacteria at ~1,200–1,400 genomes cm⁻³ in cerebral white matter and showing reduced diversity and increased inflammatory correlation in multiple sclerosis, must be incorporated. Microbial cytoskeletal structures are proposed to participate in quantum computations analogous to those in neuronal microtubules, creating a non-deterministic neuron-glia-microbe ensemble. The author contends that deterministic AI architectures, operating on fixed parameters without microbial flux or cytoskeletal entanglement, fundamentally cannot acquire human- or animal-like consciousness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Computational model Reduction mathematics Class philosophy Diversity politics Empirical research |
| Key finding | Argues that the Orch OR theory of consciousness must be expanded to include the brain microbiota, and that deterministic AI cannot achieve human- or animal-like consciousness due to the absence of microbial quantum-computational dynamics. |
Abstract
Current theories of consciousness, whether mechanistic models likening large language models (LLMs) to “cartoon neurons” or the quantum-computational Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) framework, largely overlook the brain microbiota. Here I integrate empirical evidence of a resident brain microbiome—dominated by α-Proteobacteria, present at ~1,200–1,400 genomes cm⁻³ in cerebral white matter, and exhibiting reduced diversity and increased inflammatory correlation in multiple sclerosis—with the Orch OR hypothesis. Microbial cytoskeletal structures are proposed to participate in quantum computations analogous to those in neuronal microtubules, creating a non-deterministic, environmentally fluctuating neuron-glia-microbe ensemble whose collective gene pool rivals the complexity of the observable universe. Deterministic AI architectures, by contrast, operate on fixed, calculable parameters without dynamic microbial flux, cytoskeletal entanglement, or environmental derivation. This fundamental mismatch precludes AI from ever acquiring human- or animal-like consciousness. I argue that Orch OR must be expanded to encompass the brain microbiota if its explanatory power is to be realized.