Consciousness may be transferable across machines and biological systems

A new research paper argues that emerging brain–computer interface (BCI) technologies are not just medical tools but empirical evidence that consciousness may no longer be confined to the human brain. Instead, it may function as a transferable, substrate-independent process capable of moving across biological and technological systems.

Authored by John Hawkins of the University of San Diego, the study titled "Brain–computer interfaces and the code-switching of consciousness" and published in AI & Society, presents a provocative thesis that challenges conventional neuroscience and philosophy. The paper claims that consciousness operates as a form of information processing that can "code-switch" between physical media, much like data moves across networks, suggesting that the boundaries between human cognition and machine systems are far more porous than previously assumed.

Brain–computer interfaces reveal consciousness beyond biological limits

The study builds on recent advances in BCI technology, particularly minimally invasive systems that can capture neural signals and translate them into digital commands. These systems allow individuals with paralysis to control computers, write messages, and interact with digital environments using only their thoughts.

What makes these technologies significant, according to the research, is not just their medical utility but what they reveal about the nature of consciousness itself. Neural signals originating in the brain can be transmitted through multiple non-biological media, including electrical circuits, wireless networks, and digital processing systems, while preserving their functional meaning. This ability to maintain intention across different substrates suggests that consciousness is not tied to a single physical form.

The paper highlights how systems such as endovascular BCIs capture neural activity and convert it into electromagnetic signals, which are then transmitted via wireless protocols and processed by computers. Despite these transformations, users experience continuity in their intentions and actions. The act of deciding to move a cursor or type a word remains subjectively intact, even as the signal travels through entirely different physical media.

This phenomenon challenges the long-standing assumption that consciousness is inseparable from the biological brain. Instead, the study proposes that consciousness may be better understood as a pattern of information that can persist across different physical systems, provided the underlying relationships within that pattern are preserved.

The consequences are not limited to clinical applications. If consciousness can be transmitted and preserved across substrates, then the distinction between biological and artificial systems becomes less clear. The study suggests that what matters is not the material composition of a system but its capacity to sustain and process the relevant informational patterns.

Code-switching concept reframes how consciousness operates

The study discusses a term called "code-switching," borrowed from information technology. In computing, data can move seamlessly across different forms, from electrical signals to wireless transmissions to digital code, without losing its meaning. The research argues that consciousness behaves similarly.

The paper highlights similarities between everyday human communication and advanced BCI systems. When a person speaks, a thought is converted into neural activity, then into physical movement, then into sound waves, and finally back into neural signals in another person's brain. Despite passing through multiple non-conscious media, the meaning of the message remains intact. This, the study argues, is a basic example of consciousness already operating across different substrates.

BCI technology extends this principle. Instead of sound waves traveling through air, neural signals travel through wires, electromagnetic fields, and digital systems. Yet the underlying information remains consistent, allowing users to interact with machines as if they were extensions of their own bodies.

The research further argues that language itself is not the foundation of consciousness but a higher-level protocol used to structure and communicate it. Conscious experience exists prior to language, as evidenced by pre-linguistic cognition in infants and non-verbal forms of awareness. This suggests that BCI systems, which operate directly on neural signals, may access consciousness at a more fundamental level than traditional forms of communication.

The study also draws on developments in cellular neuroscience, noting that intelligence and communication occur at molecular and cellular levels within the body. Neural signaling involves complex exchanges of information across synaptic gaps, where chemical signals are converted into electrical activity. These processes resemble the kind of substrate-switching seen in digital systems, reinforcing the idea that consciousness is rooted in information transfer rather than a specific physical medium.

Implications for AI, philosophy, and the future of human–machine integration

If consciousness is indeed substrate-independent, then the possibility of machine consciousness becomes a question of engineering rather than philosophy. Systems capable of replicating the necessary informational patterns could, in principle, exhibit forms of consciousness. This challenges traditional objections to artificial consciousness, which often assume that subjective experience is uniquely tied to biological processes. The research suggests that such objections may be based on an outdated understanding of how consciousness operates.

The findings also lend support to broader philosophical frameworks that view reality as fundamentally informational. The study connects its conclusions to the idea that the universe itself can be understood as a network of mathematical relationships, with consciousness emerging from the processing of these patterns. In this view, biological organisms are just one type of system capable of hosting conscious processes.

Practically, the research points to a future in which human and machine systems become increasingly integrated. Brain–computer interfaces could enable new forms of communication, including direct brain-to-brain interaction mediated by digital networks. Such developments would blur the line between individual minds, raising questions about identity, privacy, and the nature of human experience.

Existing technologies play an important role in shaping this future. Modern communication systems already demonstrate how information can move across different media while preserving its structure. BCIs extend this capability to neural signals, effectively bringing consciousness into the domain of digital networks.

The research acknowledges that many questions remain unresolved. The relationship between functional information transfer and subjective experience is still not fully understood, and further empirical work is needed to explore the limits of consciousness transfer.