The Conundrum of Artificial Consciousness (Part 2)

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In the previous part (Part 1 ), I discussed that the realization of the AGI will have to cross the barrier of consciousness. I also touched upon the triage of ethics, intelligence, and consciousness. When I debate this subject, experts often refuse to acknowledge the connection between consciousness and intelligence and indicate that consciousness originates from the brain. However, there is one thing that everyone agreed on: we don’t know what consciousness is.

There are two ways of approaching an unknown concept. We can either refuse its existence, try to prove something exists, and then negate the hypothesis. The other way is to consider that something exists and challenge the idea with facts and figures to prove that the same is incorrect. My hypothesis is:-

1. Consciousness is real, and it exists within individuals

2. Consciousness is connected to ethics and intelligence

3. Consciousness can be understood to some degree, and our understanding can be evolved.

4. Consciousness originated with life in the Universe and may be part of every living cell

What is Consciousness?

This is the most challenging question, and I have tried to give a straightforward definition in Part 1 . This is “The quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself,” but it is beyond what is stated here. I have stated in Part 1 that awareness is not just through sensory organs but beyond those, as a blind monkey can see the peanuts and accurately pick them up without hesitation. Scientific American published a story on consciousness, indicating that consciousness is inside our brain. The experiment was conducted in a hilarious way to understand this. An image of Trump was projected to one eye of the subject and another picture of Hillary Clinton to the other eye. The resultant image was not the superimposition of images, but the brain flashed both photos one after the other. Scientists observed the various brain parts that played active roles in it. Not all parts of the brain are responsible for it, but some parts, especially the grey matter, play an important role. The subsequent experiments also indicated that, for reasons unknown, grey matter plays a vital role in consciousness. In the same research, researchers agreed that consciousness cannot be created outside the brain in an experimental setup.

Thus, so far, we agree that something called consciousness exists. Now, we will find out next whether the brain is the relevant source or a partner in crime.

Going by the above theory, if the brain is involved in consciousness, then only humans and animals will have consciousness as they have the brain. Plants will not have any consciousness. The researchers who claim to have spent their lives on this subject vehemently deny the existence of consciousness in plants. But I have to disagree for the moment, as a growing body of empirical knowledge has led to the understanding that plants may have consciousness. One such research I would quote is Consciousness and Cognition in Plants . The experiments conducted by the scientists have established that plants have the following characteristics and are similar to other species.

1. Plants can communicate using Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

2. Plants can recognize kin and have the capacity to discriminate between kin or non-kin

3. Plants can make decisions

4. Plants have anticipatory behavior (Nocturnal reorientations)

5. Plants can learn.

6. Foraging and Competition

7. Risk Sensitivity

8. Mimicry ?- for example, leaves of Boquila trifoliolate can mimic the leaves of its supporting host

9. Ability to count - Dionaea muscipula?(Venus flytrap) can keep track of the number of times that the trigger hairs located in the inner side of the snap trap are stimulated

10. Swarm Intelligence

These characteristics also indicate awareness and consciousness, though the research did not say fully that plants have consciousness. However, there was one more research by newscientists.com, which claimed that plants are conscious. The Mimosa pudica plant also called the touch-me-not, folds its leaves when touched. Fewer know that if you put one into a sealed chamber with a dose of anesthetic, it will eventually stop doing this, as though it has been knocked out or put to sleep. Does that mean that there is a state of awareness that is put to sleep using a general anesthetic?

If we replace consciousness with awareness , I see a greater acceptance of plants' awareness. There are strong objections to the observation that plants have consciousness as well. The research called Plants Neither Possess nor Require Consciousness is one such study that relies heavily on the role of the brain. Most papers that oppose consciousness in Plants depend heavily on the non-existence of neurons as their basis. But if we challenge the brain's or neurons' role in consciousness, we can send them back to the drawing board.

Looking at the various discussions, the role of the brain in mammals is undoubtedly there, but it does not necessarily seem to be the source of consciousness. Since consciousness has to count on something, the brain sends stimuli to the body. I will now try to generate another controversy. Can consciousness reside outside the brain? Let us find out.

?According to the decades-long research of Dr. Peter Fenwick, a highly regarded neuropsychiatrist who has been studying the human brain, consciousness, and the phenomenon of near-death experience (NDE) for 50 years, consciousness exists independent of the brain. He believes that consciousness continues after the death of the subject or NDE experiences indicate accurate accounts of what happened during the period.

Let us understand the case of single-cell organisms, such as Paramecium, the animalcules discovered by the early microscopists in the late 17th century. Protozoa propel themselves through water by whiplash movements of tiny hairs, avoiding obstacles, detecting food, and displaying adaptive responses. This is a single-cell organism, and it seems it is aware of its surroundings. If awareness is consciousness, my hypothesis that every living cell has an element of consciousness stands to be true. But the debate is not that simple.

I tried to understand the scientific opinion on where consciousness indeed originates. In the next part of this story, I will focus more on the fourth hypothesis around the origins of consciousness.

References

Koch, C. (2018, October 18).?What is consciousness??Scientific American.?https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-consciousness/

Segundo-Ortin, M., & Calvo, P. (2021). Consciousness and cognition in plants.?WIREs Cognitive Science,?13(2).?https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1578

Lawrence, N. (2022, August 25).?The radical new experiments that hint at plant consciousness. New Scientist.?https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25534012-800-the-radical-new-experiments-that-hint-at-plant-consciousness/

Trewavas, A. (2021). Awareness and integrated information theory identify plant meristems as sites of conscious activity. Protoplasma, 258(3), 673–679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-021-01633-1

Taiz, L., Alkon, D. L., Draguhn, A., Murphy, A. S., Blatt, M. R., Hawes, C., Thiel, G., & Robinson, D. G. (2019). Plants neither possess nor require consciousness. Trends in Plant Science, 24(8), 677–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2019.05.008

The MIT Press Reader. (2021, March 14). Is consciousness everywhere? https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-consciousness-everywhere/

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Disclaimer: The blog does not reflect the views of my organization or the profession in which I am involved. I am also not an expert on consciousness and/or General Intelligence. This topic is debatable, and I have raised it to generate healthy controversies and trigger thinking in this direction to help evolve the concept. I fully understand that there may be various contrarian views, and the content may have contradictions. The above content is not in-depth research but can be considered preliminary observations. I will continue to think, investigate, and write on Consciousness occasionally to further my understanding of this subject and generate more awareness and debate.?

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