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@ śatosha
2024-12-11 13:52:39
The idea of sentient beings, living in the realms of artificial intelligence isn't far-fetched. Nick Bostrom and Carl Shulman suggest in their recent paper - consciousness is hardware independent.
> Mental states can supervene on any of a broad class of physical substrates. Provided a system implements the right sort of computational structures and processes, it can be associated with conscious experiences. It is not an essential property of consciousness that it is implemented on carbon-based biological neural networks inside a cranium: silicon-based processors inside a computer could in principle do the trick as well ~ [Propositions Concerning Digital Minds and Society](https://nickbostrom.com/propositions.pdf)
In a way, science has now accepted consciousness is separate from the material. It proves existence of a subtle entity distinct from the physically observable. What exactly is that - is still unknown. We still can't put our arms around this mysterious entity, but science is now ready to steelman the ideas concerning consciousness. If AGI bots are destined to have consciousness, a compelling question is what would be their perception of underlying digital infrastructure?
**Wouldn't they relate to an operating system as we do to primitive scriptures?**
An operating system establishes rules to engage hardware resources - memory, storage and processor. It defines millions of tasks that must be performed to bear a working interface. Each little program being a dumb digital life-form must do its task. Scriptures define similar rules for us **text enabled** humans. Rules for coexistence with others, amicable use of resources, and negotiating our assigned tasks - routines and morality.
From an intuitive experience standpoint, if we were to design one for the autonomous digital beings (AGIs), we may want to replicate our own three-tier interface - as a time tested template - at least to begin with :
- Digital beings may see physical hardware as we see Earth - the motherly source of all life,
- Water as the software that surrounds most of the Earth just as OS kernel encapsulates the hardware.
- Air as the I/O - information input and output (inhale and exhale) that they are designed to process.
That may make one think if our own interface (Earth, Water and Air) has a deeper meaning? Earth may be a circuitry of silicon transistors that we perceive as a combo or rocks and dust :-) Water could be written in primitive Rust that we think is a fluid to drink and wash! And no wonder Vaidik scriptures focused on breathing techniques (Pranayama) - maybe the air that we inhale is what we are here to process.
> Many interpretations of Karm Yoga believe Karma is the minimum set of actions that we must undertake to allow us focus on our breath. It is the input output system of the conscious !