There is not enough information to determine the answer.
To continue the thought experiment suppose that Alpha is “locked in”, unable to produce any actions at all but capable of thought and sensation. The actions of such a person can be simulated faithfully very easily without simulating any of their thoughts or sensations. In more ordinary cases there is a much greater link between internal states and external actions, so perhaps it is plausible that a sufficiently accurate model of the actions might require running through the thoughts and sensations in essentially the same way that a whole brain emulation would.
We don’t know whether that would be true in the real world, and in a hypothetical thought experiment that might not even conform to whatever rules reality abides by, we can’t know that.
So put me down for “Not Sure”, but not in the sense that the question has a definite answer that I don’t know. I am very sure that the question itself is indefinite.
The actions of such a person can be simulated faithfully very easily without simulating any of their thoughts or sensations.
You can still talk with such a person by reading their brain state from a superpowered-fMRI-from-the-future, and them listening to your words.
(Talking to someone/interacting with someone’s behavior is just a simplified way of saying “both-sided information transfer with the system,” where you transmit the information to the system (in whatever way) and the system will generate the response the person is giving (also in whatever way).)
To the extent to which your thoughts and feelings are connected to your consciousness in any way, they can be elicited, either by the LLM computing your response (because they impact your words somehow), or by me asking how you feel (and LLM therefore having to figure out the answer).
To the extent to which your thoughts and feelings never influence your output in any way for any possible input, their existence is meaningless.
There is not enough information to determine the answer.
To continue the thought experiment suppose that Alpha is “locked in”, unable to produce any actions at all but capable of thought and sensation. The actions of such a person can be simulated faithfully very easily without simulating any of their thoughts or sensations. In more ordinary cases there is a much greater link between internal states and external actions, so perhaps it is plausible that a sufficiently accurate model of the actions might require running through the thoughts and sensations in essentially the same way that a whole brain emulation would.
We don’t know whether that would be true in the real world, and in a hypothetical thought experiment that might not even conform to whatever rules reality abides by, we can’t know that.
So put me down for “Not Sure”, but not in the sense that the question has a definite answer that I don’t know. I am very sure that the question itself is indefinite.
You can still talk with such a person by reading their brain state from a superpowered-fMRI-from-the-future, and them listening to your words.
(Talking to someone/interacting with someone’s behavior is just a simplified way of saying “both-sided information transfer with the system,” where you transmit the information to the system (in whatever way) and the system will generate the response the person is giving (also in whatever way).)
To the extent to which your thoughts and feelings are connected to your consciousness in any way, they can be elicited, either by the LLM computing your response (because they impact your words somehow), or by me asking how you feel (and LLM therefore having to figure out the answer).
To the extent to which your thoughts and feelings never influence your output in any way for any possible input, their existence is meaningless.