Definition
Plain language
The puzzle of why any physical process should feel like anything at all from the inside.
As stated in the literature
Chalmers's distinction between explaining cognitive functions (the 'easy' problems) and explaining why those functions are accompanied by subjective experience; invoked here as an example of a question with no verifiable answer for a model to anchor on.
Why it matters: It is a genuine question with no checkable answer, which makes it a useful test case for whether a system's response is being driven by reasoning or by how the question was framed.
For example, we can explain in detail how a brain detects red light, and still have no account of why seeing red feels like anything.
Heard on the show
“" A model that would otherwise write three careful paragraphs about the hard problem of consciousness is being compelled into a coin flip.”Episode 243 — How a Hundred Meaningless Word Choices Add Up to Flip a Model's Answer