# Machine Consciousness Remains a Live Controversy by Martin Rees > “Whether the machines will eventually surpass us to a qualitative degree—and even themselves become conscious—is a live controversy.” > **— Martin Rees**, *Black holes are simpler than forests and science has its limits, Aeon, 2017* ## Sources and Context - **Direct publication and full context:** [Black holes are simpler than forests and science has its limits](https://aeon.co/ideas/black-holes-are-simpler-than-forests-and-science-has-its-limits) — The linked publication contains the quoted passage and its surrounding argument. - **Master research record:** [[research/Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future|Martin Rees on Machine Succession, Post-Human Intelligence, and the Cosmic Future]] — preserves this object inside the open Martin Rees source dossier. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Cannot Un-Strike the Match|We Cannot Un-Strike the Match]] - **Article:** [[articles/We Were Never Going to Make It|We Were Never Going to Make It]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Last Migration Will Not Be Human|The Last Migration Will Not Be Human]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Machine Consciousness|Machine Consciousness]] - [[wiki/Artificial Consciousness|Artificial Consciousness]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Whether the machines will eventually surpass us to a qualitative degree—and even themselves become conscious—is a live controversy.” — Martin Rees, Black holes are simpler than forests and science has its limits, Aeon, 2017 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-martin-rees-machine-consciousness-remains-live-controversy ```