AI Welfare Without the Concept of Consciousness – Herman Cappelen

​AI Welfare Without the Concept of Consciousness

​Presentation by Herman Cappelen, Chair Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong and Director of the AI & Humanity Lab

​I call the activity of assessing and improving our representational devices conceptual engineering. Many of those thinking about AI welfare assume that we have a well-functioning concept of consciousness. In this talk, I outline various reasons why this assumption is dubious.

​The concept of consciousness has such a weak semantic foundation that it is most likely useless for theoretical purposes. It is a poor foundation for any serious research project. It leads to misguided research projects and massive amounts of verbal dispute. It should be replaced with improved concepts.

​As a corollary, the study of AI welfare should be disconnected from the question of whether AI systems can be conscious.

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​AI Welfare Seminars is a series of research presentations and discussion on AI welfare, consciousness and moral status.