So basically, being able to set it free on some long running goal and it sort of “lives” and autonomously does its own tasks?

I wonder at what point consciousness is necessary… that is, if you can have anything like that without it.

To the point that solving consciousness (and combining it with intelligence) is what gives you the autonomous, recursive, self-improving thing otherwise it can only drive in the dark and make big mistakes.

To your point I think - it’s why we don’t see too many non-conscious advanced biology (it rarely survives against those with it).