The emergence of self-awareness: insights from robotics

The ability for self-conscious thought is historically considered to be a uniquely human characteristic. Nonetheless, as technological knowledge advances, it comes as no surprise that humanoid sense of self is not only theoretically explored but also engineered. Could the emerging behavioural and cognitive capabilities in artificial agents be comparable to humans? Should we make inferences of the existence of humanoid self-awareness, and consequently ability of conscious thought? Does the potential creation of the robotic ‘self’ necessitate a reconsideration of the notion of self-awareness? By employing a comparative approach, this essay aims to address these questions by providing a detailed discussion on the emergence of self-awareness as demonstrated in early childhood and robotics. It argues that developmental psychologists can gain invaluable conceptual and methodological insights by considering the relevance of artificial agents in better understanding the behavioural manifestations of human self-consciousness.