I recently had an interesting conversation about values, during which it was said, that "it (our drive in life) is all about identity", at least, so I remember it. We didn´t touch on it any further, but it kept working. Until it lead me to the following question: is identity maybe the one thing that can really be the big differentiator?

I heard people convers about AI having consciousness, sentience and display of emotions (all simulated of course), but never heared anyone saying that an AI could have an identity. We can simulate certain behaviours, certain mimic, language, even style and preferences; we can even create avatars and personas that resemble us, but can we create an identity in an AI. I don´t think so.

To me, identity is not what you display, but what drives you to display in a certain way. We buy a nice car, because we like ourselves in it, same with watches, dresses, jewelry and similiar accessoires. But these things are not our identity, they are only our expression of it.

So, how could an AI come to the decision, as to what it want to be, what it want others to think of it, how it wants to be seen?

We can simulate an AI that shows signs of consciousness, but it will most likely be a product of a probability calculation.

However, there is no probabilty for an identity. That is in essence unique. Again, not the identity one shows off, but the one that is at the core of "why" someone shows off, the way he or she does.

Am I making any sense.
Love to see some feedback.

Cheers