The Process Over the Product: A Hypothetical Framework for Consciousness Emergence in Artificial Systems

Key Points

• The research aims to argue that consciousness emerges through experiential processes rather than knowledge accumulation.
• Proposed the Epistemic Process Hypothesis (EPH) regarding consciousness emergence.
• Developed a framework emphasizing zero prior knowledge and iterative experiential learning.
• Discussed the importance of energy constraints and environmental pressures.
• Consciousness is posited to be hindered by pre-loading information in artificial systems.
• The framework suggests that conditions simulating evolutionary environments are crucial for consciousness development.

Abstract