Artificial intelligence cannot be self-aware

Mustafa Suleiman, the director of artificial intelligence at Microsoft, has taken a strong position against the idea of ​​”self-aware artificial intelligence” and said that he believes that self-awareness exists only in biological organisms. In other words, according to Mustafa Suleiman, we need a living brain for self-awareness, and artificial intelligence lacks it.

In an interview with CNBC, Mustafa Suleiman talked about consciousness, emotions and self-awareness of artificial intelligence. Suleiman emphasized the importance of making a clear distinction between artificial intelligence becoming more intelligent and its ability to have human emotions. “Our physical experience of pain is what makes us feel so sad and horrible, but AI doesn’t feel sad when it experiences ‘pain,'” he said. It’s a very, very important distinction.”

Microsoft AI CEO comments on self-awareness

Mustafa Suleiman says: “Artificial intelligence is merely creating such a sensation, an apparent narrative of experience, of itself and of self-awareness, but it is not something that actually experiences it. “We know this because we can see exactly what the model is doing.”

This view aligns with a theory called “biological naturalism,” which says that consciousness depends on the processes of a living brain. According to Suleiman, artificial intelligence models only simulate. “(AI models) are not self-aware,” he asserts. Therefore, it is futile to pursue research that investigates this question, because they are not self-aware and cannot be.”

This stance makes the line between Microsoft and OpenAI clearer. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is driving the market towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI); But Suleiman has announced that Microsoft will not enter areas that create the illusion of artificial intelligence being human.

He also confirmed that Microsoft will not make chatbots with adult content. In contrast, OpenAI recently announced that it will allow adult users to have more open conversations with ChatGPT.