September 19, 2024
Integrated Information, Embodied Intelligence, and (Philosophical) Zombies by Nihat Ay Abstract: In the first part of my talk, I will review information-geometric work related to the notion of integrated information within consciousness research, as proposed by Giulio Tononi. I will then discuss the concept of information integration within the context of embodied intelligence. In particular, robustness of information processing, cheap control, and morphological computation seem to imply low information integration. Do we then have to become (philosophical) zombies if we exploit our embodiment constraints in the most intelligent way? I do not think that this is the case and believe that information integration, in an appropriate sense, does play a crucial role within phenomenal experience. One way out of this dilemma could be Thomas Metzinger’s proposal of various orders of embodiment. A core concept in this regard is the necessity of a predictive world model, in addition to the actual control. Predictive processes in terms of this model might then lead to high integrated information even in cases where the control outsources computation to the body and the environment. Some of the ideas I am going to talk about emerged from discussions with David Krakauer and are related to his concept of exbodied cognition.