Can a Machine be Conscious?

I doubt we can define what consciousness is, much less say whether it's possible a machine can have it. Does a dog have consciousness? How about a Worm or an Ant? Bacteria? Is consciousness the same thing as self-aware?

All that said, yes, it must be possible since we are simply organic machines that operate based on the rules of nature. Given enough time and research, I'm sure we could recreate our version of consiousness in a machine.

Well, some of the tellers at McDonalds come close.

I have to agree that defining consciousness would be far more difficult than building a machine that can fit the definition.

Our own consciousness is measured by reaction to stimulus and there are many stimuli available to which we do not respond - high-frequency sound, ultra-violet light, magnetism, etc.

Using reaction to defined stimuli as a measure, simple photo-cell driven switches may be considered conscious. Newer traffic signals are aware of the traffic flow and stopped cars. Elevators are even aware of too many people and waiting too long.

Definition will be a real bitch for this one.

I just have to say, my Dad had a car that he would talk to when it was running poorly. He would say, "come on Bessie, you can make it". Without fail, ole Bessie would perk right up and you know, I can never remember my dad working on Bessie either? Consciouness, sure why not....and because I know you guys could use a laugh, my mothers name was Bessie too.

Without YOUR definition of "consciousness," the question is not easily answered. Can a machine sense its environment? Yes. Can a machine react to changes in its environment? Yes.

Ahh, engineers takle the questions of philosophers. Leave that to the physicists! ha ha! The defintion of conscious depends upon your world-view. If you are Christian you would have to say no, as conscience and soul are tied together as God created the soul and the soul is eternal. In the instance of a machine, no machine is eternal and it's self awareness would exist only in the temporal. If your world-view is pantheistic, your machine could have a conscious because it is part of the universe of which all things are a part. The universe is self aware in pantheism. I do think a machine can be built to mimic a human's behavior, of which morality and conscience are a part. However, conscious in itself is far more complex and deals with the unphysical.

"no machine is eternal "

You mean... there is no such thing as silicon heaven?

I got to pull myself together!

Why not? I've seen people who in my opinion would not pass as conscious, even though they function "normally" and respond to stimuli in their environment but do they do it consciously? Often not. I practice self transendance, to notice the egoic response and allow it but not to identify with it, so, that true consciousness is able to conduct itself through me. It is not mine, I reside within it. If a machine is built in consciousness it's form and function could only be concious. As engineers we often add things to prevent some one using our creation unconsciously. For example the E-STOP and pass codes. That's my two bits. I like this topic.

It is truly amazing some of the things humans can devise and create. I have no doubt that some day, we will create our very own HAL9000 (2001:A Space Odyssey). A machine that will attain that sense of self-awareness and possess the ability to actually think about it's own future...

I would be afraid to have a councious machine because just think, then you have uncounsiousness. (just think "Wake up computer!" "Wake up!") just kidding, but like the other comments, what is your defnition of counciousness? when you answer that then you can have the answer to your question. I personally was amazed by my friend's robotic lawnmower's "consiousness" to the objects around it, it woul actually push similar items together. But it got left out in the rain. it was amazing because it was one of the "projects" they and five of their friends did together.

Since the "big bang" or "big bounce" every quantum in our universe is entangled such that at some hypothetical level they are responsive to, and dynamically linked with every other quantum in the universe, be they light-years apart or neighbors in sub-atomic, atomic, molecular, or mechanical processes. Studying the physical sciences, one senses a consistent, logical and conscious process that seems to permeate everything. "Everything is Everything" and aware of everything else, thus, aware of "self"; i.e., form and relation to "other". I can't see why machines shouldn't at some point be able to reach self-consciouseness with a sufficient level of active regenerative self-defining and goal generating feed-back through some type of hologram analog logic model.