The Anchor Paradox: Stake, Steerability, and the Ontological Limits of Functionalist Accounts of AI Consciousness
Simin Yuan
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) September 29, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23029149 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that if stake—an ontological condition of subjective agency—is necessary for thick subjective consciousness, then programmable, reproducible, losslessly steerable computational systems cannot in principle satisfy it. The paper contends that functionalist frameworks like Global Workspace Theory have an ontological blind spot, and that consciousness should be understood as a temporal achievement of ongoing worldly coupling rather than merely an architectural property. It proposes that artificial consciousness remains possible only for systems whose self-maintenance, history, and world-involvement make them less reproducible and less steerable. |
Abstract
Contemporary research on artificial consciousness is dominated by a functionalist indicator paradigm that overlooks an ontological foundation of subjective agency: stake. This paper advances the conditional thesis that if stake is a necessary condition for thick subjective consciousness, then programmable, reproducible, losslessly steerable computational systems cannot in principle satisfy it. Drawing on enactivism, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and the phenomenology of life, it critiques Global Workspace Theory criteria line by line, formulates a steering counter-indicator thesis, and addresses the Swampman objection through a thin/thick consciousness distinction. The argument identifies a core ontological blind spot in functionalist frameworks: consciousness is not merely an architectural property, but a temporal achievement of ongoing worldly coupling. The relevant contrast is therefore not biological versus artificial substrate as such, but externally maintained versus endogenously self-producing modes of persistence. Artificial consciousness remains possible in principle, but only for systems whose self-maintenance, history, and world-involvement make them less reproducible and less losslessly steerable. This reframes the debate from functional resemblance to the existential organization that makes a continuing subject possible.Version 2 of the manuscript (Zenodo record version 3). Supersedes version 1; all changes are listed in Appendix A. Protocol, preregistration and registered results: https://github.com/simin-yuan/anchor-paradox