AI-Enabled Blockchains Could Potentially Achieve Consciousness, Researchers Say
The exploration of consciousness in relation to technology raises intriguing questions about blockchains. Key points include:
- Thomas Nagel's question, “What is it like to be a bat?” highlights the subjective experience of consciousness.
- David Chalmers identified the “hard problem of consciousness,” focusing on the gap between subjective experience and objective science.
- Giulio Tononi proposed Integrated Information Theory (IIT), suggesting consciousness can be quantified in systems.
- Computers may achieve consciousness by integrating information, similar to how blockchains operate based on their historical data.
- Blockchains have a memory-like quality, reflecting their history, but lack causal autonomy, relying on external inputs.
- Current blockchains are compared to nervous systems without brains, lacking internal causation.
- Future AI-enabled blockchains could theoretically develop consciousness by achieving internal autonomy and self-awareness.
This poses a thought-provoking notion: If IIT holds true, could we one day ask, “What’s it like to be a blockchain?”