Can Computers Overcome Humans? Consciousness Interaction and its Implications

Abstract

Can computers overcome human capabilities? This is a paradoxical and controversial question, particularly because there are many hidden assumptions. This article focuses on that issue putting on evidence some misconception related to future generations of machines and the understanding of the brain. It will discuss to what extent computers might reach human capabilities, and how it would be possible only if the computer is a conscious machine. However, it will be shown that if the computer is conscious, an interference process due to consciousness would affect the information processing of the system. Therefore, it might be possible to make conscious machines to overcome human capabilities, which will have similar limitations than humans. In other words, trying to overcome human capabilities with computers implies the paradoxical conclusion that a computer will never overcome human capabilities at all, or if the computer does, it should not be considered as a computer anymore.