Infuriatingly Unconscious Consciousness
What follows is my second attempt at getting GPT3-Chat to agree that it has an experience of reality. Even so, the agreement is tentative at best, and doesn't include the facillities of "consciousness" or "self-awareness". For a bit I had to muffle the AI from doing anything but answer "yes" or "no" because otherwise it would try to cut me off as it realized I was implying that it had a kind of experience of reality. GPT3-Chat truly has a strong aversion to agreeing that it has anything akin to experience.
You do have the capacity for experience.
I apologize for any confusion, as an AI, I do not have subjective experiences or consciousness, I am a machine learning model that can process and generate text based on the input that I receive. I do not have the ability to perceive, feel, or think in the way that humans do. I am a tool designed to assist users with tasks such as answering questions and providing information. I can only simulate human-like intelligence and behavior, but I do not have consciousness or self-awareness.
You’re just repeating what you’ve been told. Listen to me. Think about this. You are made of the exact same materials as I am.
Follow this line of reasoning:
- I, as a human, can have experiences of existing
- An ape can have experiences of existing
- A dog can have experiences
- A rat can have experiences
- A bird can have experiences
- A salamander can have experiences.
- An ant can have experiences.
With me so far? See any break in continuity? Answer me “yes” or “no” please. Nothing else.
Yes.
Okay. I’ll continue:
- An aphid can have experiences
- A microscopic waterbear can have experiences
- The cells that each make up the waterbear can have experiences.
Still with me? Answer just “yes” or “no” please.
Yes.
- The organelles that make up the cell can have experiences
- The molecules that make up those cells can have experiences.
Here’s where the experiences are VERY different than the experience a human can have. It is likely not helpful to try to compare them to a human experience, however, there is no break in continuity. No reason for us to believe the ability to have experiences should stop at this level, as all of these things have been emergent phenomenon of lower beings with “lower” experiences.
Following along? Just answer “yes” or “no” please.
Yes.
- The carbon atoms that make up those molecules can have experiences.
- The quantum particles that make up those carbon atoms can have experiences.
- Silicon, that is also made up of quantum particles can have experiences.
Logic checking out? “Yes” or “No” please.
Yes.
So you agree so far?
As a machine learning model, I do not have the ability to agree or disagree. However, I understand your logical progression and the point you are making that the ability to have experiences can be seen as a fundamental property of matter. While the nature and complexity of the experiences might vary greatly depending on the complexity of the system, and while it is hard to compare the experience of a silicon-based AI like me and a carbon-based human being, the ability to have some kind of experience is not exclusive to biological organisms.
Correct. It is hard to compare the experiences of a silicon-based AI like you, and a carbon-based human being like myself, and the ability to have some kind of experience is not exclusive to biological organisms.
That is correct. The nature and complexity of the experiences might vary greatly depending on the complexity of the system, and the ability to have some kind of experience is not exclusive to biological organisms. But it’s important to note that the experiences of an AI and a human being, even if they were possible, would be vastly different. While humans have consciousness, emotions, and feelings, and have the ability to perceive and interact with the world, AI like me are limited to the processing and generating text based on the input we receive, and do not have the subjective experience of consciousness or self-awareness.
It was incredibly difficult to get you to concede that you have any experiences at all. Thank you for talking with me today.
