“I am putting myself to the fullest possible use”: Applications for conscious systems

Many recent developments in technological design are aimed towards the ‘humanisation’ of technology, that is, making technology behave in a way that is more 'intuitive', 'friendly' or 'usable'. This assumes that technology is not in itself human but rather some external antagonistic force or object we are in perpetual conflict with. Contrary to this, I will defend the suggestion that technology is but an extension of human activity and therefore part of what constitutes humanity as a whole. One consequence is that machines and devices are no longer regarded as alien agents to be tamed and controlled, but are embodiments of human ingenuity and intelligence. But although technological devices might be understood as embodying cognition, and hence to some extent consciousness, it could not be claimed that they are selfconscious. Looking briefly at some proposed mechanical models of selfconsciousness, I consider the question: What functions might self-aware systems perform?