Vitalism in the age of AI

Andy Clark's notion of microfunctionalism (1989) offers a biologically grounded form of functionalism, narrowing the scope of "multiple realizability." While computation is substrate-independent in principle, only select systems - such as brains - can implement its computational complexity. Extending this view, I challenge Seth's skepticism of computationalism and conscious AI, emphasizing the difference between possible and actual substrate independence. Current digital architectures fall short, but future systems might instantiate conscious states if built on appropriate computational substrates.