For humans or other animals being unconscious means one is unaware of ones environment and free of (conscous) thoughts. However, it is a problematic idea as there are clearly n between states, such as the monents when one is falling asleep, and timese when conscious experince is not associated with the real world, for example in dreams or hallucnations. This is important in understanding human conscousness and for AI if we wish to learn from, or emukate, aspects of human conscous experience. Prartically, this may help create AI that can ask reflective questions such as "what am I thinking about npw?" or "how did I come to that conclusion?", both of which are important for explainable AI.
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