Does the Machine Think? The Problem of Knowledge, Consciousness, and Intelligence in the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

With the emergence of artificial intelligence as one of the most important manifestations of contemporary technological development, and the transition of its applications from performing calculations and pre-programmed tasks to intelligent systems capable of adaptation, learning, data analysis, identifying various patterns, interacting with humans through natural languages, and making complex decisions, a philosophical debate has emerged around an old yet renewed problem concerning the nature of the intelligence possessed by machines and the extent to which their various operations can be described as genuine thinking or whether they merely constitute simulations of certain external manifestations of human thought.

Through this study, we seek to address this problem through a conceptual, philosophical, and critical approach that begins by distinguishing between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, then examines the question of whether a computer can think through the Turing Test and the criticisms directed against it, particularly the position of John Searle, who distinguishes between the simulation of intelligent behavior and the possession of understanding and meaning. The article also discusses the relationship between intelligence, consciousness, and knowledge, as well as the role of algorithms and data in designing intelligent behavior, concluding with a presentation of some critical perspectives associated with artificial intelligence, including the ethical, legal, social, and economic risks related to it.

The study concluded that the rapid development of intelligent systems has enabled machines to perform tasks that were previously associated with human mental abilities. However, the ability to process information and produce intelligent responses is not, in itself, sufficient to determine whether a machine possesses understanding or consciousness comparable to that of humans. This makes the question of machine thinking extend beyond the technical dimension to encompass philosophical, epistemological, and ethical dimensions associated with the artificial intelligence revolution.