We know AI chatbots aren't conscious most of the time because no program is running. There's nothing to do any thinking. [1]
We also know that they immediately forget anything they didn't write down. A chatbot has no memory of any internal calculations. If you ask it why it wrote something, it's guessing. [2]
People sometimes believe that an AI-generated character is conscious because the writing is convincing, along with some wishful thinking. But writers and characters aren't the same thing, and there's no writer waiting for your reply when you read the character's dialog. This essentially the same thing that happens when reading fiction. [3]
We also know that they immediately forget anything they didn't write down. A chatbot has no memory of any internal calculations. If you ask it why it wrote something, it's guessing. [2]
People sometimes believe that an AI-generated character is conscious because the writing is convincing, along with some wishful thinking. But writers and characters aren't the same thing, and there's no writer waiting for your reply when you read the character's dialog. This essentially the same thing that happens when reading fiction. [3]
[1] https://skybrian.substack.com/p/ai-chats-are-turn-based-game...
[2] https://skybrian.substack.com/p/ai-chatbots-dont-know-why-th...
[3] https://skybrian.substack.com/p/the-ai-author-illusion