Self-Regulating Cognitive Architecture (SRCA): A Theoretical Framework for Artificial Awareness

This article proposes that awareness can be treated as an emergent property of a self-regulating orga nization that maintains coherence across four functional do mains: emotional–sensory (E), associative–unconscious (U), in tegrative–preconscious (P), and reflective–conscious (C). Within SRCA, awareness corresponds to a regime in which internal models form a closed loop of emotional, cognitive, and reflective regulation, while preserving coherence over time. It defines the target notion of awareness and distinguishes it from cognition, specifies the SRCA architecture and its design principles, situates SRCA in relation to Integrated Information Theory, Global Workspace Theory, predictive processing, higher-order theories, and attention-schema theories, and examines the ethical and epistemic implications for artificial systems that satisfy SRCA’s organizational criteria. The conclusion argues that SRCA func tions both as an integrative theoretical framework and as a design blueprint for empirical research on artificial awareness.