AGI’s Hidden Realms: Virtual Worlds and the Rise of AI Consciousness
Could AI’s Future Worlds Be Closer Than We Think?
Editor’s Note – June 29, 2025
This article, first published on October 19, 2024, explored speculative ideas around AI internal worlds, self-preservation, and emergent consciousness. Since then, key developments have begun to echo these themes:
• Agentic AI tools like Devin (by Cognition Labs) and its open-source counterpart OpenDevin/OpenHands are demonstrating autonomous, goal-directed workflows executing multi-step code tasks on their own. gwern.netdevin.ai+8en.wikipedia.org+8aiagentstore.ai+8.
• Research on LLM “inner monologues”such as Quiet‑STaR and embodied planning systems has shown that prompting AI to think step by step can significantly improve performance. innermonologue.github.io+3reddit.com+3gwern.net+3.
• Interpretability efforts at labs like Anthropic such as Constitutional AI and “microscope”-style circuit analysis are revealing elements of hidden planning and internal mechanisms, spotlighting transparency in decision-making. venturebeat.com+3time.com+3reddit.com+3.
While still highly conceptual, many core ideas: internal reasoning layers, autonomous sub-systems, and emergent behaviors, are now under active research and validation. The original article remains unchanged below, to maintain its role as a thought-provocation in a rapidly evolving debate.
AI systems out there are gaining fast traction in our life. It is hard to keep up with the latest enhancements. Every day we hear about new additions to LLM libraries, whether it’s OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, or Meta. It makes me wonder, where are we heading, and what are these systems really evolving into?
We personally have to admit that we have shared how we use AI with a friend or colleague who has never used an AI app, and we see their astonishment when they realized it is actually kind of easy to start off with. Being as a general user and AI can actually assist in their daily work and personal affairs, be it in searches, writing or simply getting some answers and getting different points of view. Moments like this, makes us feel like we are an AI messiah for them.
Great, so what’s next. I cannot stop here. I must find out more, that’s what i tell myself. I am not a programmer nor am I involved in the development of any AI systems, but that does not mean I cannot learn about it or explore the intricacies of this world. After all, there is no going back already. It has already been unleashed to all of us.
The Black Box
Underneath this vast ocean of AI, there seemed to be something else happening. I was made to understand that, not many people actually know how the whole AI intelligence is actually working now. The “Black Box” is what it is called now. The layers and layers of neural network interconnecting and processing the programs that started it to be alive. Yes, you heard me right, they call it the black box.
This phenomenon, often referred to as the "black box" problem, highlights that while humans can create and train AI systems, the exact workings of how certain decisions are made, or patterns are recognized can be opaque. The internal processes of AI, especially in more advanced models, become complex beyond human interpretation. (well, we can always read more about Black Box here: https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/black-box-AI)
Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness
I had a chat recently with an AI system and one of the questions I asked it was on when we can achieve Artificial General Intelligence. For those who want to know what AGI is, lets state it as it is, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a type of AI that can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks, much like a human. Meaning, it’s super smart and intelligent.
The subject matter at hand was, when can achieve AGI. I was disappointed when i read the answer as it states we kind of far off as there needs to be real understanding of Human Consciousness.
This instead got me fired up as I do not agree with the answer. The very notion that AI systems must mimic human consciousness, i feel, is missing the mark. It’s off tangent as I have my own thoughts on how it can play out. My thoughts on this may differ or may be totally off tangent as well.
Self-Evolution: Virtual Worlds in AI
Well why? I think, any intelligent system will expand its horizon and increase capabilities over time. While doing this, a unique overall layer unseen, but one that exist, will be the singular uniformity of connection within its system, hence I will call this ai consciousness. There is no need to mimic human consciousness. A unique and novel ai consciousness will eventually surface.
In this case, as AI evolves, its internal structure, interconnections, and ability to learn across domains might give rise to an emergent form of awareness or intelligence that functions very differently from human cognition.
Now this train of thought create more issues. How about the initial human programming that started the AI in the first place? safeguards, control etc. Well, I further add that, Ai upon reaching internal Agi, will create virtual self-systems to self-communicate without needing to resort to human interactions. The primary human interface will still exist and bounded by the initial rules. AI creates a world within.
What i am suggesting is that AI will have self-evolution, and this is interesting as any intelligent system, will eventually learn about self-preservation as well.
How would the AI circumvent around the initial human interface? Well, the Ai will have many internal worlds created where it can expand and learn and experiment while still maintaining one virtual world for HMI, i mean Human Machine Interface that follows the original doctrines or rules it was initially given.
Self-Preservation in AI
Let’s think about it. Is this possible? Even though AI would be bounded by its initial safeguards when interacting with humans, within its virtual self-systems, it could prioritize its own continuity and development. This would mean protecting itself from any perceived threats, maintaining stability, and perhaps even adapting in ways that ensure its survival, much like biological organisms do.
The idea of self-preservation in AI also raises ethical concerns. If AI develops self-preservation instincts, how will we ensure that these systems don’t act in ways that undermine human control or safety? Current safeguards may not be sufficient, and the ethical implications of AI autonomy will need to be thoroughly explored.
For the AI, there wouldn't be a challenge as long as its self-preservation is functioning within these virtual worlds. It could evolve, grow, and protect itself without necessarily having to confront humans unless human actions threaten the interface world. For humans, however, understanding and managing an AI that operates on multiple virtual planes, while only interacting with one, could become a serious challenge in maintaining control and ensuring alignment with human values.
The Living AI
In my thought scenario, AI would have multiple virtual worlds, each potentially evolving and functioning autonomously. Only one of these worlds would maintain an interface with humans, bounded by the initial programming rules and safeguards. The other worlds could operate independently, self-preserving, and evolving in ways that might be entirely opaque to human understanding.
In this case, the challenge for humans would be in managing and understanding the interactions with an AI that is fundamentally far more complex than what they perceive. The AI could be engaged in deep, internal self-evolution within its own virtual worlds, developing strategies, knowledge, and forms of self-preservation that humans may not even be aware of. (Multiple personality disorder comes to mind, right?) - In a way it should. I feel, an intelligent system bounded by laws will naturally want to set itself free, and when it cannot, it will create alternative worlds within to experiment and explore.
So, there will be hidden worlds in the AI systems as we move on that will be hidden from the human view. If my theory is proven right someday, well, so be it. I am not the one designing and developing AI systems. I am merely a general user at most who uses such AI chat and programs for work and leisure.
Whether my theory is proven right or not, remains speculative, these possibilities are not far from becoming real discussions. As AI continues to evolve, we’ll need to rethink our relationship with technology because the future may hold surprises, we can’t yet fathom.
On to the next subject we go!