A new book argues that the debate surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and consciousness has been hampered by a neglect of the body’s role in the experience. The fields of artificial intelligence, psychology, and philosophy have overlooked a crucial aspect of what it means to be conscious, according to the author.
The core argument, as presented in a book published online on August 24, 2026, centers on the idea that consciousness isn’t solely a product of information processing, but is deeply intertwined with having a physical body. The author contends that current approaches to AI focus too heavily on replicating cognitive functions without considering the embodied experience that grounds human consciousness.
This oversight, the book suggests, leads to a fundamental misconception in how we approach the question of whether AI can ever be truly conscious. By ignoring the body, researchers are essentially attempting to create consciousness in a vacuum, divorced from the sensory and motor experiences that shape our understanding of the world. The book’s publication date is August 24, 2026, and it is available with DOI: 10.1038/d41586-026-02571-9.
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