Co-founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc., Tosin Eniolorunda, has sparked fresh conversations on artificial intelligence by arguing that the future debate about AI should move beyond intelligence to a more fundamental question: consciousness.
Sharing his reflections after spending the weekend contemplating developments in artificial intelligence, Eniolorunda said much of the global discourse has focused on whether AI will surpass human intelligence, automate more jobs or transform industries. While acknowledging that these are important issues, he believes an even deeper question lies beneath them.
According to him, the critical issue is whether consciousness is inherently tied to biological life or whether it emerges from a particular architecture. He argued that if consciousness depends exclusively on biological matter, then no matter how sophisticated AI becomes, it can never truly be conscious. However, if consciousness is primarily a function of architecture, biology may not be the defining factor after all.
The Moniepoint chief executive observed that today’s AI systems already exhibit some of the characteristics associated with consciousness. They can retain information during conversations, reason across available information and adjust future responses based on previous context. However, he noted that they still lack essential elements such as continuous long-term identity, persistent autobiographical memory and intrinsic goals that exist independently of user instructions.
Eniolorunda believes these limitations are significant but suggested they may represent engineering challenges rather than fundamental conceptual barriers. He cautioned against claiming that current AI systems are conscious, emphasizing that such assertions would be premature. Nevertheless, he argued that if consciousness is ultimately defined by architecture, researchers should focus on identifying the specific components that remain absent instead of dismissing the question as unknowable.
He further noted that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is compelling humanity to define concepts that have traditionally remained abstract and loosely understood. According to him, the quest to understand intelligent machines may ultimately lead to a deeper understanding of human consciousness itself.
Eniolorunda concluded that his reflections on AI eventually led him back to the human mind, particularly the way human emotions function. He hinted that this line of inquiry would form the basis of a future discussion, suggesting that understanding emotional systems may prove just as important as understanding artificial intelligence.
His comments add to the growing global conversation on the philosophical and scientific implications of AI, as researchers, technologists and policymakers continue to examine not only what intelligent machines can do, but also what it truly means to be conscious.
