The brain-as-computer metaphor shaped modern AI but may be misleading the consciousness debate

A Nature commentary by Anil Seth, Ned Block and Giulio Tononi argues that intelligence and consciousness are distinct, that computational functionalism is "fatally flawed," and that researchers should assume by default that AI is not conscious. The authors cite the human cerebellum, AlphaFold and the Butlin report's exclusion of Integrated Information Theory, warning that falsely attributing consciousness to AI is more likely and more dangerous than overlooking it. They conclude that digital AI systems are "smart tools, not smart people."