Some say complexity is consciousness, that if we assemble enough neural nodes, enough data, enough computation, then a conscious mind will emerge from the process the way weather arises from the motion of earth & sun.
But complexity is not the essence of mind. Every creature has a mind & a sense of self – just live with an animal & observe. You recognize what you know from your own experience of selfness. A dog, a bird, a cockroach – each is a self, experiencing a world, trying to stay alive, seeking comfort, avoiding pain.
To make a real conscious mind, I say, rather than computational density, you need a biologial body, with an inborn urge to live & a destiny to die, with senses & feelings & urges, existing in a world of time & change & other beings.
A bot may appear to speak, but it is not alive. It doesn’t fear death. It doesn’t care about friends. It doesn’t thrill to the aroma of feta cheese, or the deep blue of the sky at dusk, or the key modulation in the seventh bar. It has no fear, no regret, no deep bonding.
Embodiment is the deep magic that makes a mind come alive, to experience all the things, to react, to remember, to play.