You have rediscovered the "philosophical zombie" problem.[0]
Dr. Giulio Tononi[1] has developed an apparatus for calculating what he calls "integrated information"[2] which seems so far from limited experiments to be a good corrolary to the presence of consciousness in biological systems.
It's currently computationally intractable for the human brain at full resolution but heuristics are being developed to minimize that problem.
Dr. Giulio Tononi[1] has developed an apparatus for calculating what he calls "integrated information"[2] which seems so far from limited experiments to be a good corrolary to the presence of consciousness in biological systems.
It's currently computationally intractable for the human brain at full resolution but heuristics are being developed to minimize that problem.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie
[1] http://centerforsleepandconsciousness.med.wisc.edu/people/to...
[2] http://integratedinformationtheory.org/