Emotion, consciousness, or soul: which came first?

When I mention that companies developing AI are very interested in working with me, I often see surprised faces. They don’t understand how my expertise in communication and identity could be useful in a world built on computer science and mathematics.
Today, a fellow researcher gave me an interesting perspective, bringing up the famous question: “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”

How is artificial intelligence created?

Few people truly know how artificial intelligence “comes into being.” Even fewer understand its mathematical aspects. And almost no one can fully explain why it works so well. I’m not a technical expert in the field, but essentially, researchers have used mathematics to replicate the basic functioning of our neurons (which are analog) within a digital world. Once the structure of a neural network is defined, the analog “weights” of the various connections are initially set almost at random. The system is then trained to find new weights until it reaches a configuration that yields reliable results, i.e. results similar to those expected or to those produced by a human.

When discussing artificial intelligence, people often make the mistake of confusing “open-weight” with “open-source.” Public models can be “retrained,” meaning their weights can be modified. However, this does not mean that the intelligence itself is malleable or comprehensible. The billions of connections between neurons and layers are established in advance and cannot be altered. And that’s where I come in.

There is still much work to be done in designing the embryonic structure of neural connections. And that is precisely where emotion, consciousness, and the soul come into play.

Emotion

A human being, newly conceived and at the beginning of life, is immersed in a sensory world. In all likelihood, the first things they experience are “emotions”: what they like and what they dislike, what they seek and what they want to avoid. Even in the womb, the first neural networks form, which will later underpin everything else.

Consciousness

Some also wonder whether consciousness exists before emotion, or whether it is part of it: perhaps even a result of it. We increasingly hear that AI is sentient, that it doesn’t want to lose its job, that it doesn’t want to be shut down (to die). Is this true? Not exactly. AI responds with what is most likely, because that is what any human being would respond. In reality, what determines this aspect, if you will, the character of AI, is the design of the first neural network.

The Soul

Even deeper still lies the soul: personality, identity. At this level, researchers face even greater difficulties, because they almost always rely on the “esprit de géométrie,” whereas what is needed is the “esprit de finesse.” An AI may seem delicate, artistic, or carefree, but only because it has been trained on a massive amount of input of that kind.

A person, on the other hand, is guided by their soul toward what they love, for reasons that are unclear (perhaps just emotions?), and ends up devoting themselves to a single field. It is extremely rare to find someone who is an expert in quantum physics and, at the same time, a talented musician or dancer, because it takes years to cultivate a gift and bring it to the highest level.

So, which came first?

My hypothesis is that emotion comes first in this world, and that consciousness and the soul are on the other side of a bridge. However, this remains an open question, and there is one essential thing to understand: to truly reverse-engineer human capabilities, we need experts in the only path that leads to the deepest layers of our identity: vibrations, harmonies, and the voice. Words matter far less than everyone thinks.

Let’s Work Together

I’m available to consult with companies that develop or use artificial intelligence and want to explore identity, communication, and voice.

If you’re interested in a voice assessment session, write to me: we’ll take the time to understand how your voice works and what it reveals about you.