The ai has created a functional internal model of an external system based on limited sensory input. That is essentially a kind of consciousness.
Sure.
> That is essentially a kind of consciousness.
That is a flying leap.
It just means some people poked a pile of a bazillion if-else statements long enough, until the desired result came out. I believe everyone here knows the xkcd I am referring to.
Still, I think it's an interesting result. But, as someone on Fridman's podcast said the other day: recent advances in AI have all been thanks to advances in computing power, not any new ideas. The future if AI seems to depend on Moore's Law, more than anything.