That question traces back to the fundamental question concerns the origin of consciousness itself: is consciousness a phenomenon emergent from physical processes in the Universe, or is it... something other than that:
A maverick physicist named John Wheeler wondered about this half a century ago, and you can read more about this very curious fellow here:
Wheeler was one of the first prominent physicists to propose that reality might not be wholly physical; in some sense, our cosmos must be a “participatory” phenomenon requiring the act of observation--and thus consciousness itself.
That question traces back to the fundamental question concerns the origin of consciousness itself: is consciousness a phenomenon emergent from physical processes in the Universe, or is it... something other than that:
A maverick physicist named John Wheeler wondered about this half a century ago, and you can read more about this very curious fellow here:
Physicist John Wheeler and the “It from Bit” (6/29/2023)