That being said, until a robot or computer has the capability of adding to its information on its own (or learning and developing without the aid of human interference), the idea of artificial intelligence is fictional.
David Chalmers writes in his paper ("How Can We Construct a Science of Consciousness?") that it has become possible to think that we are moving toward a genuine scientific understanding of conscious experience. In the paper, Chalmers compares both third-person data and first-person data and talks about how both need some sort of explanation. Based on this paper and others I've read by Chalmers, I believe he would be in support of robotic consciousness to a certain extent. Chalmers often remains subjective in his findings and in the information he presents.
Australian Philosopher David Armstrong, however, strongly defends the identity of mental events and argues the objective of reality in relation to scientific realism. Artificial intelligence is aimed at building a machine or a robot that is capable of performing a variety of human-like functions, as well as personal growth and development, much like a human. This would be accomplished without the aid of human intervention or interference, so the robot, in essence, would be an entity all its own once it was built. It would know who its "master" was, but it would have the intelligence to repair itself or know where to seek repair when needed. Humans would...
The machines may be able to accomplish daily tasks without the help of humans, but they have not been developed enough at this point in time to venture out into the world on their own or to repair themselves without the aid of humans. A robot with artificial intelligence would grow and develop at the rate of a human, but may grow and develop at a different rate than another robot with artificial intelligence. If a computer or robot is developing at the same rate as the next, it is not an entity all its own, but rather a machine, which has been built and modified to develop using a specific timeline and method that has been put into place by the developer or builder.
