Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence’s Self-Awareness Between the Cognitive Science Expert and Large Language Model Claude 3 Opus: A Buddhist Scholar’s Perspective

The article examines the dialogue between British cognitive science expert Murray Shanahan and the large language model Claude 3 Opus about “self-awareness” of artificial intelligence (AI). Adopting a text-centric approach, the author analyzes AI’s discourse through a hermeneutic lens from a reader’s perspective, irrespective of whether AI possesses consciousness or personhood. The article draws parallels between AI’s reasoning about the nature of consciousness and Buddhist concepts, especially the doctrine of dharmas, which underpins the Buddhist concept of anātman (“non-Self”). Basic classifications of dharmas and their justification are examined in light of the Buddhist system of ideas about the foundations of an individual’s cognitive experience in the world. The author emphasizes that the problem of the Self as a linguistic and conceptual construct, rather than a real ontological category, was first formulated in the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni who also proposed an “experimental” application of this concept in practices of systematic introspection (smṛti). The article contends that Claude’s discourse on self-awareness, even if it is just a tapestry of linguistic constructs woven by preset algorithms, could prove to be a source inspiring new approaches to the enigma of consciousness. This potential stems from its vast database, which is a melting pot of textual heritage from diverse human cultures. The author posits that examining AI-generated texts through the prism of Indian and Buddhist thought traditions can be eye-opening. Such an approach might help shed light on and overcome the unconscious cognitive biases and cultural blind spots within Western consciousness studies that have hindered their engagement with the full spectrum of human intellectual traditions. The author concludes that discovering different cultural sources in AI discourse and examining it from the perspective of various cultural traditions can: firstly, enrich the conceptual apparatus of cognitive studies; secondly, reveal universal cross-cultural patterns in understanding consciousness; thirdly, generate new research hypotheses and directions in studying not only artificial but also natural intelligence; fourthly, contribute to rethinking our understanding of the Other, by expanding the boundaries of what we today consider conscious or sentient.

1. Cox C. (1988) On the Possibility of a Non-existent Object of Perceptual Consciousness: Sarvāstivādin and Dārśṭāntika Theories. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. Vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 31–87.

2. Dalai Lama & Varela F. (1997) Sleeping, Dreaming and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.

3. Lysenko V.G. (2006) Sleep and Dreams as States of Consciousness: Upanishads and Śaṅkara. In: Lysenko V.G. (Comp.) Smaranam. In Memory of Oktyabrina Fedorovna Volkova: Collection of Articles (pp. 269–306). Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian).

4. Lysenko V.G. (2011a) Abhidharma. In: Stepanyants M.T. (Ed.) Philosophy of Buddhism: Encyclopedia (pp. 62–66). Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian).

5. Lysenko V.G. (2011b) Anātmavāda (Anattavāda). In: Stepanianc M.T. (Ed.) Philosophy of Buddhism: Encyclopedia (pp. 97–103). Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian).

6. Lysenko V.G. (2011c) Dharmas. In: Stepanyants M.T. (Ed.) Philosophy of Buddhism: Encyclopedia (pp. 317–320). Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian).

7. Lysenko V.G. (2011d) Pratītyasamutpāda. In: Stepanyants M.T. (Ed.) Philosophy of Buddhism: Encyclopedia (pp. 549–554). Moscow: Vostochnaya literatura (in Russian).

8. Lysenko V. (2017) The Problem of Qualia: Perspectives on the Buddhist Theories of Experience. In: Menon S., Nagaraj N., & Binoy V.V. (Eds.) Self, Culture and Consciousness: Interdisciplinary Convergences on Knowing and Being (pp. 16–32). Singapore: Springer.

9. Piatigorsky A. (1984) The Buddhist Philosophy of Thought: Essays in Interpretation. London: Cruzon Press.

10. Piatigorsky A.M. (2020) Buddhist Philosophy of Thought (S. Ostapenko, Trans.). Moscow: Azbuka-Atticus; KoLibri (Russian translation).

11. Ruegg D.S. (1984) Forward. In: Piatigorsky A. The Buddhist Philosophy of Thought: Essays in Interpretation (pp. ix–x). London: Cruzon Press.

12. Ruegg D.S. (2020) Foreword. In: Piatigorsky A.M. Buddhist Philosophy of Thought (pp. 10–13) (S. Ostapenko, Trans.). Moscow: Azbuka-Atticus; KoLibri (Russian translation).

13. Shanahan M. (1997) Solving the Frame Problem. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

14. Shanahan M. (2010) Embodiment and the Inner Life: Cognition and Consciousness in the Space of Possible Minds. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

15. Shanahan M. (2015) The Technological Singularity: A Mathematical Investigation of the Common Sense Law of Inertia. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

16. Shanahan M. (2024) A Conversation on Consciousness with Anthropic’s Claude. Retrieved from https://www.doc.ic.ac.uk/~mpsha/conversation_with_claude_march_2024_1.pdf

17. Shanahan M., McDonnel K., & Reynolds L. (2023) Role Play with Large Language Models. Nature. Vol. 623, pp. 493–498.

18. Shanahan M. & Singler B. (2024) Existential Conversations with Large Language Models: Content, Community, and Culture. arXiv preprint. arXiv:2411.13223.

19. Titlin L.I. (2018) The Problem of the Subject in Indian Philosophy (“Pudgalaviniścaya” by Vasubandhu). Moscow: OntoPrint (in Russian).