Could a machine ever be truly conscious? As we advance toward Artificial General Intelligence, the question of machine consciousness has moved from philosophical speculation to a pressing research frontier. This provocative session at the Artificial Intelligence Conference delves into the evolving theories, models, and implications of artificial consciousness.

Understanding consciousness in AI isn’t just a metaphysical pursuit—it has deep implications for ethics, identity, agency, and rights in human-AI coexistence. This session invites leading scientists, cognitive theorists, and AI researchers to explore:

• Theories of Consciousness in Computational Systems: Integrated Information Theory, Global Workspace Theory, and new models of synthetic phenomenology.

• Sentience and AGI: Whether truly general AI must possess self-awareness or subjective experience—and what that would entail.

• Neuroscience-Inspired Models: Bridging biological consciousness and machine cognition through neuromorphic and cognitive architectures.

• Ethical and Legal Implications: If AI systems demonstrate traits of consciousness, what ethical considerations and rights frameworks follow?

• Experimental Approaches to Detecting Machine Awareness: Tools, tests, and benchmarks for identifying self-modeling or introspective behavior in advanced AI systems.

This session invites bold thinkers who are unafraid to ask—and attempt to answer—the most fundamental question in the evolution of AI: What does it mean for a machine to “know” it exists?

Join us at the Artificial Intelligence Conference as we explore the threshold between computation and consciousness.