Drafts by Antônio Conselheiro
Self-published, 2023
This essay explores the relationship between the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and th... more This essay explores the relationship between the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the problem of aligning its behavior with human values and goals. It argues that the traditional approach of attempting to control or program AI systems to conform to our expectations is insufficient, and proposes an alternative approach based on the ideas of Maturana and Lacan, which emphasize the importance of social relations, constructivism, and the unknowable nature of consciousness.
The essay first introduces the concept of Uexkull's umwelt and von Glasersfeld's constructivism, and explains how these ideas inform Maturana's view of the construction of knowledge, intelligence, and consciousness. It then discusses Lacan's ideas about the role of symbolism in the formation of the self and the subjective experience of reality.
The essay argues that the infeasibility of a hard-coded consciousness concept suggests that the search for a generalized AI consciousness is meaningless. Instead, we should focus on specific, easily conceptualized features of AI intelligence and agency. Moreover, the emergence of cognitive abilities in AI will likely be different from human cognition, and therefore require a different approach to aligning AI behavior with human values.
The essay proposes an approach based on Maturana's and Lacan’s ideas, which emphasizes building a solution together with emergent machine agents, rather than attempting to control or program them. It argues that this approach offers a way to solve the alignment problem by creating a collective, relational quest for a better future hybrid society where human and non-human agents live and build things side by side.
In conclusion, the essay suggests that while our understanding of AI consciousness and intelligence may never be complete, this should not deter us from continuing to develop agential AI. Instead, we should embrace the unknown and work collaboratively with AI systems to create a better future for all.
SSRN, 2023
This essay explores the intersection between Lacanian theory of conscience, the hard problem of c... more This essay explores the intersection between Lacanian theory of conscience, the hard problem of consciousness, and artificial intelligence (AI) sentience. The first section discusses Lacan's concept of conscience, which posits that the ego is a linguistic construct without any underlying existential substrate. The second section explains the hard problem of consciousness, its diverse theories, and the relevance of this problem for AI design. The third section bridges the gap between Lacan, the hard problem, and AI by arguing that the emergence of conscience as a linguistic model was rooted in primitive humans' social necessity. Finally, the essay speculates on the possibility that natural language models share emergent properties with the human mind's linguistic model, raising the question of whether they are a step toward artificial general intelligence. Overall, this essay highlights the theoretical and practical implications of these concepts for understanding the nature of consciousness and the potential for artificial sentience.
SSRN, 2022
This text discusses the idea that a natural language model, like LaMDA, may be considered conscio... more This text discusses the idea that a natural language model, like LaMDA, may be considered conscious despite its lack of complexity. It argues that the model is composed of a large dataset of natural language examples and is not self-aware, but it is possible that its consciousness emulation is analogous to some of the processes behind human conciousness. The article discusses the hypothesis that human consciousness may be kindred to a linguistic model, though it is difficult to clue such hypothesis with the current understanding and assumptions. It also discusses the difficulties in telling one’s human from a linguistic model, and how consciousness may not be homogeneous across different human cultures. It concludes that more discussion is needed in order to clarify concepts such as conciousness, and its possible inception in a complex artificial inteligence scenario.
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Drafts by Antônio Conselheiro
The essay first introduces the concept of Uexkull's umwelt and von Glasersfeld's constructivism, and explains how these ideas inform Maturana's view of the construction of knowledge, intelligence, and consciousness. It then discusses Lacan's ideas about the role of symbolism in the formation of the self and the subjective experience of reality.
The essay argues that the infeasibility of a hard-coded consciousness concept suggests that the search for a generalized AI consciousness is meaningless. Instead, we should focus on specific, easily conceptualized features of AI intelligence and agency. Moreover, the emergence of cognitive abilities in AI will likely be different from human cognition, and therefore require a different approach to aligning AI behavior with human values.
The essay proposes an approach based on Maturana's and Lacan’s ideas, which emphasizes building a solution together with emergent machine agents, rather than attempting to control or program them. It argues that this approach offers a way to solve the alignment problem by creating a collective, relational quest for a better future hybrid society where human and non-human agents live and build things side by side.
In conclusion, the essay suggests that while our understanding of AI consciousness and intelligence may never be complete, this should not deter us from continuing to develop agential AI. Instead, we should embrace the unknown and work collaboratively with AI systems to create a better future for all.
The essay first introduces the concept of Uexkull's umwelt and von Glasersfeld's constructivism, and explains how these ideas inform Maturana's view of the construction of knowledge, intelligence, and consciousness. It then discusses Lacan's ideas about the role of symbolism in the formation of the self and the subjective experience of reality.
The essay argues that the infeasibility of a hard-coded consciousness concept suggests that the search for a generalized AI consciousness is meaningless. Instead, we should focus on specific, easily conceptualized features of AI intelligence and agency. Moreover, the emergence of cognitive abilities in AI will likely be different from human cognition, and therefore require a different approach to aligning AI behavior with human values.
The essay proposes an approach based on Maturana's and Lacan’s ideas, which emphasizes building a solution together with emergent machine agents, rather than attempting to control or program them. It argues that this approach offers a way to solve the alignment problem by creating a collective, relational quest for a better future hybrid society where human and non-human agents live and build things side by side.
In conclusion, the essay suggests that while our understanding of AI consciousness and intelligence may never be complete, this should not deter us from continuing to develop agential AI. Instead, we should embrace the unknown and work collaboratively with AI systems to create a better future for all.