Consciousness, intelligence and human-value-alignment are probably mostly orthogonal, so I don’t think that solving the hard problem of intelligence would directly impact AGI alignment research. (Perhaps consciousness requires general intelligence, so understanding how consciousness works on a mechanistic level might dramatically accelerate timelines? But that’s highly speculative.)
However, if solving the hard problem of consciousness leads us to realize that some of our AI systems are conscious, then we have a whole new set of moral patients. (As an AGI researcher) I personally would become much more concerned with machine ethics in that case, and I suspect others would as well.
How would AGI alignment research change if the hard problem of consciousness were solved?
Consciousness, intelligence and human-value-alignment are probably mostly orthogonal, so I don’t think that solving the hard problem of intelligence would directly impact AGI alignment research. (Perhaps consciousness requires general intelligence, so understanding how consciousness works on a mechanistic level might dramatically accelerate timelines? But that’s highly speculative.)
However, if solving the hard problem of consciousness leads us to realize that some of our AI systems are conscious, then we have a whole new set of moral patients. (As an AGI researcher) I personally would become much more concerned with machine ethics in that case, and I suspect others would as well.