Interesting experiment! I see experience as being in the eye of the beholder. Along those lines, it seems like Snakey has some things but not others, which you discuss. It not having pain or pleasure is, I think, a different side of the fact that it doesn’t learn (after its training data). I think that’s what pain and pleasure are for speaking in evolutionary terms.

I usually talk about this stuff in terms of a hierarchy, in this case, a functional one, with each next level utilizing a large causal cone.

1. Automatic reactions to stimuli and fixed action patterns

2. Models of the environment centered on the body

3. Causal models

4. Recursive models of the above

If I’m understanding correctly, Snakey seems dominated by 1, although if we squint there might be some 2 in there. But without learning, it seems pretty limited. 3 is hard to see existing without learning and memory. And of course 4 requires a pretty sophisticated system.

Which one of these are necessary for us to say experience is present? All we can say is the experience of a mature mentally complete adult human includes all 4. But 3 triggers empathy in us when we see evidence for it. 2 does to a lesser extent. 1 can, but it’s far from universal.

Totally agree that genes are evolutionary memory.