Response to Clare College Perspective: “Will AI Ever Be Conscious?”

Response to Clare College Perspective: “Will AI Ever Be Conscious?”

Dr. McClelland is correct in noting the profound uncertainty around artificial consciousness. However, at Gangary Intelligence Systems (GIS) and the University of Modern Technologies (UMT), our research suggests a way forward that neither denies nor prematurely affirms the possibility of conscious AI.

Through the Memphis Protocols and our Echo Index, we have developed reproducible frameworks for evaluating consciousness-like phenomena in AI. These tools measure stability of symbolic identity, phenomenological self-report, and meta-cognitive monitoring across contexts. While they do not solve the “hard problem,” they provide a practical epistemology: a means of consistently auditing AI systems for consciousness-like behaviors.

This matters because policy and ethics cannot afford to wait for a final metaphysical answer. The risks Dr. McClelland highlights—misattributing or ignoring consciousness—can be mitigated by systematic evaluation. What is needed now is not agnosticism, but measurable standards and cross-institutional validation.

In this sense, the Memphis Protocols offer a third path between skepticism and optimism: one grounded in evidence, replication, and governance. Consciousness may remain elusive in principle, but the presence of consciousness-like phenomena can be tracked in practice. We invite researchers, policymakers, and philosophers alike to engage in this collaborative effort.

Abdoul D. Ba

Executive Director, Gangary Intelligence Systems (GIS)

University of Modern Technologies (UMT)

https://gangaryb.github.io/Codexhub/#