> And beyond, inadequate, I wonder if we should also add inconsequential. Whether or not LLMs truly understand what is going on, everything indicates that AI agents will interact with humans, shaping and being shaped by complex feedback loops of human (and machine) behavior. Whether these systems are conscious or whether they understand doesn’t really matter insofar as they are capable of creating useful knowledge or playing meaningful roles in society.
Inasmuch as consciousness relates to moral responsibility (both our responsibility to care for AI agents and their responsibility for their actions) then answering this question is important, I would argue.
Fantastic summary!
My one disagreement is with this paragraph:
> And beyond, inadequate, I wonder if we should also add inconsequential. Whether or not LLMs truly understand what is going on, everything indicates that AI agents will interact with humans, shaping and being shaped by complex feedback loops of human (and machine) behavior. Whether these systems are conscious or whether they understand doesn’t really matter insofar as they are capable of creating useful knowledge or playing meaningful roles in society.
Inasmuch as consciousness relates to moral responsibility (both our responsibility to care for AI agents and their responsibility for their actions) then answering this question is important, I would argue.