Can computation explain consciousness without an observer's help?

Consciousness cannot depend on arbitrary labels imposed by outside observers—it must emerge from how a brain's physical components actually interact. The authors propose two criteria: the relevant computational structure must be specifiable without external interpretation, and it must show up in how the system responds when you intervene on it. This framework rescues computational theories from the charge that they're merely observer-dependent maps, by anchoring them instead in measurable internal dynamics.