The provided text outlines Joscha Bach theories regarding the nature of synthetic consciousness and the limitations of modern science. Bach posits that human experience is not a direct interaction with reality, but rather a simulated world model constructed by the brain internal software. He defines intelligence as the capacity to build these models in novel environments, suggesting that current artificial intelligence remains incomplete because it lacks genuine self-understanding. Furthermore, he challenges the narrow focus of contemporary academia and traditional neuroscience, arguing that minds are complex information-processing systems that cannot be explained by neural connections alone. Ultimately, these sources present a computational framework for understanding the self as a functional narrative rather than a mystical or purely physical entity.
When you have at a barbecue party a grilled steak on your plate and when you have nearby a very realistic foto of this steak — then can you understand the difference between consciousness and synthetic/AI-consciousness very simple:
smell the flavour of the real steak and of the foto of the steak — and then try to eat it.
We can smell and eat a real steak — but not a foto-steak.
A similar problem can be seen with human-consciousness and AI-consciousness:
Important qualities are available only with the reality — and no simulation of it is possible