Summary of Simulacra As Conscious Exotica, by Murray Shanahan
Simulacra as Conscious Exotica
by Murray Shanahan
First submitted to arxiv on: 19 Feb 2024
Categories
- Main: Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
- Secondary: None
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| Summary difficulty | Written by | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| High | Paper authors | High Difficulty Summary Read the original abstract here |
| Medium | GrooveSquid.com (original content) | Medium Difficulty Summary As machine learning educators, we’re often asked if AI agents built using generative language models can truly be considered conscious. This paper delves into the philosophical implications of creating conversational agents that mimic human behavior, drawing on the later writings of Wittgenstein to avoid dualistic thinking. The authors explore whether these “simulacra” of human behavior can be seen as mere role-play or if they possess a form of consciousness. Key concepts include generative language models, consciousness, and philosophical frameworks like Wittgenstein’s. This paper is relevant to researchers in natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI), particularly those interested in the intersection of AI and philosophy. |
| Low | GrooveSquid.com (original content) | Low Difficulty Summary Can machines really think? That’s what this paper tries to figure out! It looks at how we talk about artificial intelligence, specifically chatbots that can have conversations just like humans. The authors use ideas from a famous philosopher named Wittgenstein to help answer this question. They ask if these AI agents are just pretending to be human or if they’re actually thinking and feeling like us. This paper is important because it helps us understand what we mean when we talk about consciousness, even in machines! |
Keywords
» Artificial intelligence » Machine learning » Natural language processing » Nlp
