The Download: fixing the internet, and detecting AI consciousness

History is rich with examples of people trying to breathe life into inanimate objects, and of people selling hacks and tricks as "magic." But this very human desire to believe in consciousness in machines has never matched up with reality. Creating consciousness in artificial intelligence systems is a dream for many technologists. Large language models are the latest example of our quest for clever machines, and some people (contentiously) claim to have seen glimmers of consciousness in conversations with them. AI systems don't have brains, so it's impossible to use traditional methods of measuring brain activity for signs of life.