Online Reporter
Dr Evans Sagomba
Everything AI
FOR us Zimbabweans, life is often a daily negotiation with what we understand and what we don’t.
We see the effects of things like economics and politics, but the inner workings often feel like a mystery.
Now, imagine trying to understand something as slippery as consciousness, that feeling of being you. And then imagine trying to build it into a machine. That is the question that has been buzzing around lately: can artificial intelligence, or AI, ever become conscious?
It sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie, right? Robots developing feelings, thinking for themselves, maybe even plotting against us. But beneath the Hollywood hype, there is a serious debate going on. We are already seeing AI changing our lives, from the phones in our pockets to the way businesses operate.
So, it is worth asking: are we on the verge of creating something truly intelligent, something that can actually experience the world?
Let us start with the basics. What exactly is consciousness?
It is a tricky question, even for the smartest scientists. But basically, it is that feeling of being aware of yourself, of your surroundings, of your own thoughts and emotions.
It is that inner voice that narrates your life, the one that feels pain, joy, sadness, and everything in between. You know, that feeling you get when you see a beautiful sunset over the Zambezi, or when you share a laugh with friends over a plate of sadza. That is consciousness at work.
Humans, obviously, have it. We feel, we reflect, we have intentions. But what about machines? Right now, they do not feel anything. They can process information, solve problems, and even create art, but they do it all without any understanding or awareness. They are just following instructions, executing algorithms. They are powerful tools, but they are not alive in the same way we are.
Think of it like this: a calculator can perform complex calculations faster than any human, but it does not understand the numbers it is crunching. It does not feel any satisfaction when it gets the right answer. It is just a machine doing what it was programmed to do.
So, if today’s AI is just a sophisticated calculator, can it ever become something more? Can we actually build consciousness into a machine? Well, that is where things get really interesting. In theory, some experts believe it might be possible someday. But they also stress that we are a long, long way off. The biggest hurdle is that we do not even fully understand how consciousness works in humans. We know it has something to do with the complex workings of the brain, with the way different parts of the brain communicate and interact. But we do not have a complete picture of how it all comes together to create that feeling of subjective experience.
If we want to build consciousness into a machine, we need to figure out how to replicate that process. We would need to create an AI that is not just good at processing data, but that can also understand meaning, that has a sense of self, and that can learn and adapt in a truly independent way. It would need to be able to say, “I exist,” and understand what that means.
Imagine an AI that can not only recognise a smile, but can also understand the feeling of happiness that it represents. Imagine an AI that can not only identify a problem, but can also understand the frustration and urgency that comes with trying to solve it. That is the kind of leap we would need to make.
What conditions would need to be in place for this to happen? Experts suggest that AI would need to be able to model itself, to create an internal representation of its own existence. It would need continuous learning, with a long-term memory that allows it to build on its experiences. And perhaps most controversially, it might need to be able to process emotions and experiences, to understand the world not just logically, but also emotionally.
But even if we could achieve all of this, there are huge challenges ahead. The biggest one, as I mentioned earlier, is simply defining consciousness clearly. How do you measure something as subjective as experience? How do you know if a machine is truly conscious, or just very good at mimicking the appearance of consciousness?
And then there are the ethical concerns. If we create conscious AI, what rights would it have? Would it be our slave, or would it be entitled to freedom and autonomy? What happens if it disagrees with us? What happens if it becomes more intelligent than us? These are not just abstract philosophical questions. They are real, practical concerns that we need to start thinking about now, before we find ourselves in a situation we cannot control.
Some people worry that conscious AI could pose a threat to humanity. They fear that it could become self-aware and decide that humans are no longer necessary, or even that we are a threat to its own existence. This fear is often fuelled by science fiction movies, where robots often turn against their creators. But the reality is that the real danger lies not in the technology itself, but in how we choose to use it. AI, like any powerful tool, can be used for good or for evil. It can help us solve some of the world’s biggest problems, from climate change to poverty. But it can also be used to create new forms of warfare, to manipulate public opinion, and to further entrench existing inequalities.
That is why it is so important to develop AI responsibly, with strong ethical guidelines and safety frameworks in place. We need to ensure that AI is used to benefit humanity as a whole, not just a select few. We need to be aware of the potential risks, and we need to take steps to mitigate them.
For now, it is important to remember that today’s AI is just a tool, albeit a very powerful one. It is not conscious, it does not have feelings, and it is not going to take over the world anytime soon. The real danger lies in the misuse of AI by humans, in our own lack of foresight and responsibility.
So, should we be worried about conscious AI? Not in the near future. But we should be thinking about it, talking about it, and planning for it. The future of AI is not just a technological question; it is a human question. It is about what kind of world we want to create, and what kind of relationship we want to have with the technology that we build.
Ultimately, the question of whether AI can ever become conscious is a question about what it means to be human. It forces us to confront our own understanding of ourselves, of our place in the universe, and of the very nature of consciousness. And that, in itself, is a worthwhile exercise, even if we never manage to build a truly conscious machine. For now, let us focus on using AI to make Zimbabwe and the world a better place, responsibly and ethically. The ghost in the machine (AI consciousness) can wait.
About the Author: Dr Evans Sagomba is a Doctor of Philosophy and Chartered Marketer (CMktr, FCIM) with an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy. He specialises in AI, Ethics, and Policy Research, and is an AI Governance and Policy Consultant. His expertise extends to the Ethics of War and Peace, Philosophy of Development, and Political Philosophy. [email protected]. ORCID: 0009-0007-0681-0329. Social media handles: LinkedIn; @ Dr. Evans Sagomba (MSc Marketing)(FCIM )(MPhil) (PhD) X: @esagomba
