Attention Schema Theory (AST) posits that consciousness is the brain’s subjective internal model of its own attention. Just as the brain constructs a “body schema” to monitor and control physical movement, it builds an “attention schema”—a simplified, data-driven description of what it is currently focusing on. According to AST, the brain lacks the processing power to track its exact neural mechanics, so it misinterprets this invisible attentional process as a non-physical, magical property: conscious awareness.