Qualia from quantum magic: A quantum resource approach to phenomenal consciousness

Gandhimohan M. Viswanathan^1,2*

• ¹Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
• ²Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

Qualia—the first-person qualities of subjective experiences that constitute the "what it is like" of phenomenal consciousness—have thus far resisted physical explanation. Here we hypothesize that qualia are generated in the brain during the quantum computational resolution of difficult inverse problems when non-Clifford magic states are consumed above a threshold rate. Magic states are a well-known quantum resource necessary for universal quantum computation—a form of computational fuel. Inverse problems in cognition, such as reconstructing the state of the environment or internal states from incomplete or noisy sensory and interoceptive data, are typically ill-posed and computationally costly. A prototypical inverse problem is determining the actual 3D shape of an object from a blurry 2D retinal image. The Qualia-from-Quantum-Magic Hypothesis reframes classic philosophical thought experiments (e.g., zombies and inverted qualia), predicts when and where qualia should arise, and offers a natural explanation for their absence in simple systems such as thermostats and in many complex systems such as the Internet. In the brain, it predicts consciousness-related activity to be prominent in the posterior sensory cortices, because vision and hearing pose some of the most challenging inverse problems that are vital to an animal's survival. In light of this prediction, we conclude by discussing recent empirical findings of the Cogitate Consortium.