AI and consciousness: from objective descriptions to 'level zero'

Author here. This is an essay written in dialogue form about why "AI is/isn't conscious" debates often fail due to level confusion: we mix objective descriptions (models/behavior) with first-person investigation (what it's like).

I propose a stratified view of knowing. "Level zero" is the checkpoint where a thought is directly present in lived experience, independent of whether it was generated internally or externally.