Can a Machine be Conscious? Towards Universal Criteria for Machine Consciousness

TL;DR

This paper proposes five universal criteria for assessing machine consciousness, aiming to standardize the evaluation process amid ongoing debates and lack of consensus in the field.

Contribution

It introduces a set of five criteria for determining machine consciousness, applicable across disciplines and serving as a foundational reference for future research.

Findings

Proposed five criteria for machine consciousness

Criteria applicable to various entities beyond machines

Serves as a primer for interdisciplinary research

Abstract

As artificially intelligent systems become more anthropomorphic and pervasive, and their potential impact on humanity more urgent, discussions about the possibility of machine consciousness have significantly intensified, and it is sometimes seen as 'the holy grail'. Many concerns have been voiced about the ramifications of creating an artificial conscious entity. This is compounded by a marked lack of consensus around what constitutes consciousness and by an absence of a universal set of criteria for determining consciousness. By going into depth on the foundations and characteristics of consciousness, we propose five criteria for determining whether a machine is conscious, which can also be applied more generally to any entity. This paper aims to serve as a primer and stepping stone for researchers of consciousness, be they in philosophy, computer science, medicine, or any other field, to further pursue this holy grail of philosophy, neuroscience and artificial intelligence.