The paper aptly defines consciousness as a controlled hallucination, one which corresponds to top-down information being matched to bottom-up sensory informatio

The paper aptly defines consciousness as a controlled hallucination, one which corresponds to top-down information being matched to bottom-up sensory information, which to me suggests that consciousness is not a discrete phenomenon. A subject having a phenomenal experience, and later self-awareness must have evolved smoothly with the increase of connectedness. AI models are very simple compared to us, but it's interesting how the generalizations they come up with as a result of training appear to evolve just as smoothly, in seemingly useless parts that over time amplify each other and provide a generalized solution. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/N6WM6hs7RQMKDhYjB/a-mechanistic-interpretability-analysis-of-grokking https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/N6WM6hs7RQMKDhYjB/a-mechanis... You can say that self-awareness is the ultimate generalized solution for survival in a complex environment.