Shared Awareness Across Domain‐Specific Artificial Intelligence: An Alternative to Domain‐General Intelligence and Artificial Consciousness

Creating artificial general intelligence is the solution most often in the spotlight. It is also linked with the possibility-or fear-of machines gaining consciousness. Alternatively, developing domain-specific artificial intelligence is more reliable, energy-efficient, and ethically tractable, and raises mostly a problem of effective coordination between different systems and humans. Herein, it is argued that it will not require machines to be conscious and that simpler ways of sharing awareness are sufficient.Artificial general intelligence is often in the spotlight. It is linked with the possibility-or fear-of machine consciousness. Alternatively, developing domain-specific artificial intelligence is more reliable, energy-efficient, and ethically tractable, and raises mostly a problem of coordination between different systems and humans. We argue that machine consciousness is not required, and that simpler ways of sharing awareness are sufficient.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH