My prediction is that the Dell will be able to decide to do things of its own initiative.
‘on its own initiative’ looks like a very suspect concept to me. But even setting that aside, it seems to me that something can be conscious without having preferences in the usual sense.
I don’t think it needs to have preferences, necessarily; I think it needs to be capable of having preferences. It can choose to have none, but it must merely have the capability to make that choice (and not have it externally imposed).
‘on its own initiative’ looks like a very suspect concept to me. But even setting that aside, it seems to me that something can be conscious without having preferences in the usual sense.
I don’t think it needs to have preferences, necessarily; I think it needs to be capable of having preferences. It can choose to have none, but it must merely have the capability to make that choice (and not have it externally imposed).