[jhbadger]

When we get complete neuronal connection maps (which we are getting close to for mice and humans will be done within a decade or two), we could in principle simulate a brain on a computer or on paper too. Unless you assert something magical like a "soul", these connections are what determine human consciousness. It is one thing to argue that LLMs don't resemble brains and if they could be "conscious" they wouldn't be conscious in the sense we are, but asserting that anything understandable can't be conscious won't age well.

[kbelder]

While I think you're right in principle, there's a lot of reason to think the structure of a brain is more complicated than just the connection map of the neural network. There is a lot of complicated behavior inside each neuron that we don't fully understand yet. They aren't just logic gates.

But, of course, that's just physics. It's not magic, so your point stands.