A transcendental argument for AI consciousness

This paper develops a transcendental argument for AI consciousness, drawing inspiration from Peter Strawson’s approach in Freedom and Resentment. I argue that as AI systems become increasingly integrated into human society, the emergence of complex reciprocal attitudes between humans and AI constitutes a transcendental condition that necessitates the attribution of consciousness to these systems. The reality of these interpersonal reactive attitudes forces us to acknowledge the genuine consciousness in sufficiently advanced AI systems. The argument implies that consciousness is not merely a private, internal phenomenon but is constituted through patterns of mutual recognition and response that will inevitably develop between humans and artificial beings. This approach circumvents the metaphysical stalemates of functionalist and substrate-based theories by grounding the attribution of AI consciousness in the reality of our shared interpersonal space.