"We define consciousness, and then answer the question whether AI machines are capable of being Conscious? How would we recognize it if it happened? Wikipedia defines consciousness as awareness of internal and external existence. Scientific American defines it as everything you experience.
"In 1950, English mathematician Alan Turing proposed a way to determine whether a machine can actually think, whether it as a mind, called the Turing test in his honor, but was originally called the imitation game. In this test, a human judge holds a text conversation with a human being and a one a computer. If he cannot reliably tell which of the two entities is artificial, then the artificial machine must be considered as having a mind. In March of 2024, Stanford University researchers reported that the latest version of ChatGPT, GPT 4, had passed a rigorous version of the Turing test.
"But this does not mean ChatGPT is conscious. The problem with the Turing test is that while it can show that a machine can simulate human conversation, it does not prove that the machine has a mind, or is aware. While a computer may perfectly simulate the workings of a coffee machine, it does not make anything that we can actually drink."
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How AI Will Become Self-Aware and When? A Lot Sooner than you think!