Why free will is required for true artificial intelligence

Not in a logically defined way (everything is a chain reaction caused by everything else and our available options at least limit our free will) but in the sense of what I personally choose, I have free will to assess my available options (or not) and act on whichever option seems best to me at the time.

I'd not post this comment after writing it to prove my free will but it wouldn't prove it to you that way lol

My take on your perspective is that you've bought into an idea that is essentially the "tail wagging the dog". As we see in particle physics, the observation of an event affects the presentation of that event. So from this lens, the physical world as we observe itself exists in the eye of the observer.

As Schopenhauer put it, "it is the laws of nature that arise from a transpersonal will, not the will from the laws of nature".

A good read on the topic:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/yes-free-w...