[sfn42]

Its a computer program. It is literally just a lot of zeroes and ones, sitting there doing nothing.

Then a request comes in, and the system does a bunch of calculations using those bits, and spits out a result. The bits are unchanged.

When your brain receives input, it is changed. It is constantly active. If it ever stops being active it's dead.

So, what exactly is the claim? Are the bits constantly conscious? Do they snap into consciousness when the computer does math with them? Or is it maybe the computer that's conscious while it's processing these bits? How about when it stops doing that and goes back to doing other stuff? Why are these particular bits special? Was the computer always conscious?

I feel like the only way anyone could believe LLMs are conscious is if they don't understand how computers work. Of course it isn't conscious, how could it possibly be conscious? Its literally just bits. It's like saying the text in a book is conscious.

[orangecat]

So, what exactly is the claim? Are the bits constantly conscious? Do they snap into consciousness when the computer does math with them? Or is it maybe the computer that's conscious while it's processing these bits? How about when it stops doing that and goes back to doing other stuff? Why are these particular bits special? Was the computer always conscious?

These are all fine questions, and they don't become any easier to answer if you replace "computers" with "brains" and "bits" with "neurons".

Of course it isn't conscious, how could it possibly be conscious? Its literally just bits.

"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

[el_jay]

> These are all fine questions, and they don't become any easier to answer if you replace "computers" with "brains" and "bits" with "neurons".

What is even being argued here - neuroscience is hard, so programming your PC thus makes it conscious?

> "That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."

… what?

[orangecat]

What is even being argued here - neuroscience is hard, so programming your PC thus makes it conscious?

We don't understand how combining a bunch of obviously(?) non-conscious biological components can produce a larger system that is conscious, so it's unwarranted to be certain that that can't happen with software.

[jlightfire]

Cells are living entities, can't they be conscious? I think they are. Is not that human consciousness comes out of raw materials. They are alive, not as bits or circuits. That can't be discussed.

[jsnell]

https://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/TheyMade.s...

[nprateem]

> if they don't understand how computers work

Or if they're retards. The fact this still comes up is weird. A printing press isn't conscious, so why would an LLM be.

Don't forget, some of the bros are overly excitable. Like that twat who reckoned a Google model 5 years ago was conscious.