Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2026

Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
Life is inherently computational, and consciousness probably is too - A commentary on: Conscious artificial
Blake Richards1,2,3,4,5,6, Blaise Agüera Y Arcas7,8
1Mila (The Quebec AI Institute), Montreal, QC, Canada blake.richards@mila.queb.
Abstract:
We agree with Seth that consciousness is grounded in processes related to life, namely prediction, homeostasis, and autopoiesis. However, we believe he is wrong to frame these processes as non-computational. In fact, prediction, homeostasis, and autopoiesis are inherently computational, as shown by von Neumann's Universal Constructor theory of general computation. Given this, we believe that AI consciousness is likely.
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