The Attention Schema of Linux  Steven Schkolne (Los Angeles, CA )   C2

The Attention Schema Theory (AST) is a promising new model of consciousness derived from brain study. It is surprising that the core element of this theory - the ability to model attention - is a foundation of the modern operating system. In my talk I will use practical examples from the Linux OS to demonstrate that machines exhibit the various properties of AST - the ability to direct one's own attention, model the attention of others, and more. I will touch briefly on the ramifications of this position: the attribution of subjective experience to machines, and the curious possibility that any model of consciousness in the brain will, at a coarse level, be equally applicable to machines. Out of similar problems, do similar solutions arise?