“The question is not whether intelligent machines can have any emotions, but whether machines can be conscious of those emotions.” — Alan Turing

Artificial intelligence is an advanced technology which has the ability to mimic human intelligence. Recognising patterns and performing a task on the basis of those learnings is one of the primary functions of artificial intelligence. However, when it comes to discussing consciousness, AI lags behind.

Humans are conscious of their presence. The one thing which sets us apart from machines ,which can carry out tasks similar to humans, is our ability to be conscious of our own self. Consciousness is a realisation which has not yet been developed in AI. The human brain is complicated and though we have been able to replicate some of its functions in AI, replicating all of them is not possible. The development of consciousness in AI would be a technological advancement that would help AI truly become human.

Consciousness can be defined simply as awareness. Many theories such as the Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Functionalism have come up which have tried to explain this phenomenon that is yet to be fully understood. IIT proposes a mathematical representation of the consciousness of a system that helps measure to what extent a system is aware of itself whereas Functionalism proposes that every mental state exists to serve a functional role. Despite these, consciousness still remains a topic of debate. 

If we glance at AI from a Functionalist perspective, which considers every mental state or emotion fulfills a purpose, it can perhaps develop these mental states if it is advanced enough. 

On the other hand, if we take into consideration the IIT, it could be believed that the complexity of AI allows for it to be somewhat conscious. 

Consciousness is an evolutionary advancement which helps us in appropriate behavioral responses towards the situations we face and it is the essence of the emotions we feel. It involves learning from our surroundings and using that information to perform actions which are instrumental to our survival, emotions and social interactions. One major question arises here: Can AI truly capture that?

AI today is powerful, but it doesn’t “know” it’s powerful. It can solve problems, play games, and even hold conversations, yet it does all this without awareness. Consciousness is still something uniquely human. Whether machines will ever share that spark remains uncertain, but it’s a question that keeps scientists and philosophers asking: what does it really mean to be conscious?