Consciousness likely not unique to earthlings, paper says

7 hours ago

Consciousness likely does not depend on flesh and blood, suggesting it may exist in life forms with different biological or material compositions, such as aliens with non-Earth-like structures.
The concept of 'substrate flexibility' supports that consciousness, like properties such as holding water, can be achieved through varied materials, not limited to human biology.
Given the vast universe with potentially thousands of behaviorally sophisticated civilizations, it would be 'terrocentrism' to assume consciousness is unique to Earth-like organisms, leading to the 'Copernican principle of consciousness'.
Evolution on Earth shows diversity in nervous systems (e.g., octopuses, insects), indicating nature does not rely on a single design, and alien life could exhibit even more creative forms of consciousness.
Regarding AI, the authors do not assert current systems are conscious but argue that excluding silicon-based systems solely due to material is unjustified if consciousness is substrate-flexible.
The debate should broaden from replicating human consciousness to exploring what systems can be conscious, analogous to different forms of flight (e.g., eagles vs. hummingbirds), allowing for varied manifestations of consciousness.

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