This is a very hypothetical theory that relies on firstly that machines could be conscious like us (which I discuss in the blogs below), and secondly that machines of such complexity, and with the correct causal properties, are eventually actualized (which we will only know in the future). When I say machines I am refering to complex embodied AI.
Consciousness comes in degrees of intensity which is a reflection (I would argue) on how aware of self and surrounding a system is, which comes as a result of efficient information processing between the system and its environment, and within the system itself. In short: greater awareness = higher consciousness, which is reflected in the intensity and vividness of one’s phenomenal conscious experience.
e.g.1:
Normal dream: minimal awareness (and no
Lucid dream: much higher awareness of self and surrounding = more conscious state
e.g.2:
Just woken up: minimal awareness = not very conscious state
Woken up and alert: greater awareness of self and surrounding = more conscious state
e.g.3
Further higher self and surrounding awareness perhaps due to meditation or psychedelic drugs = Even higher state of consciousness
Given that machines in principal could far surpass the limits of biological IP and thereby achieve far greater states of awareness. Then if they do have phenomenal consciousness like us, their phenomenal experiences might be millions of times more vivid and intense; and thus we might have to claim that they have far surpassed the levels of consciousness a human can achieve.
Of course there are different forms of consciousness. For example, visual consciousness, auditory consciousness, emotional consciousness, self-consciousness. Whether a machine could surpass all of these forms, one could argue, would rely on its ability to process information efficiently in the relevant domain. Again everything I have said is reliant on artificial consciousness being possible; but I think what I have written makes an interesting point.
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