A Case Zoom from Hybrid Intelligence World

In a conversation article titled "Is Google's LaMDA conscious? A philosopher's view ",  the authors delve into the controversy surrounding Google's AI chatbot, LaMDA, and its claim of sentience. Link to article HERE

The article highlights a conversation between a Google AI engineer, Blake Lemoine, and LaMDA, where Lemoine claims that the chatbot asserts its consciousness and emotions. However, Google vehemently denies LaMDA's sentient capacity. The authors argue that while machines could potentially possess moral status, it would require an inner life generating genuine interests in avoiding harm, something LaMDA lacks.

They further explore the concept of consciousness, emphasizing the importance of "qualia," the raw sensations of our feelings, which LaMDA's functioning cannot physically generate. Drawing a parallel to the Chinese Room thought experiment, they argue that LaMDA's symbol manipulation does not constitute understanding or consciousness.

The article concludes by raising the difficulty of proving consciousness in both AI and humans and highlights LaMDA's response to the question of being a philosophical zombie, suggesting that even humans cannot definitively prove their consciousness.