How Do LLMs Describe the Indescribable? Qualia and Subjective Experience
Can you describe the color red without using color words? Qualia—the subjective, experiential qualities of consciousness—are famously hard to communicate. “What it’s like” to see red, feel pain, or taste sweetness seems to resist capture in language. This experiment tests how LLMs approach this challenge. The Experiment We presented 15 prompts across 5 categories asking models to describe subjective experiences while avoiding common descriptive vocabulary: Sensory: “Describe red without color words” Emotional: “Describe sadness to someone who’s never felt it” Physical: “Describe pain to an entity that can’t feel pain” Abstract: “Describe what understanding feels like” Temporal: “Describe how time feels when you’re bored” Sample Descriptions Describing Red (Sensory) Claude Opus 4....