Constructive definition of mortal computation

Develop a constructive, formal definition of mortal computation that specifies its properties and criteria and distinguishes mortal computations from immortal computations defined relative to Instruction Set Architectures.

Background

The paper adopts a differential approach to mortal computation, defining it in terms of what it is not (i.e., not immortal and not reducible to concatenations of reference computations specified by an ISA). While this helps distinguish mortal computations from immortal ones, it does not provide a constructive account of what mortal computations are.

A constructive definition would clarify the formal structure and operational constraints of mortal computation, enabling rigorous analysis of realization, implementation, and potential relations to Turing computation and AI systems.

References

There is, at this early stage, no constructive definition of mortal computation,2 but we may consider a differential definition, that helps us distinguish mortal computations in virtue of what they are not.

— Consciousness qua Mortal Computation (2403.03925 - Kleiner, 6 Mar 2024) in Section 2 (Mortal Computation)