Panpsychism and Artificial Minds

The ancient view that consciousness is a fundamental feature of all matter, revived by Philip Goff and others, implies even simple systems have rudimentary experience — making the question not whether AI can be conscious but how much. This perspective outperforms the functionalist view (#2 on this list) by offering a direct metaphysical ground for consciousness. A 2023 survey in Journal of Consciousness Studies found 18% of philosophers now endorse some form of panpsychism, a sharp increase from 12% a decade earlier.