A majority of Clockwork exist in a state of semi-consciousness. They do not plan or think outside of the parameters programmed into them and are incapable of indipendennt thought. While at times they can act with amazing speed and flexibility, it must be programed into them in advance of the situation.
A Cloclwork humanoid is considered a drone when it is first crafted, its mental state similar to that of an insect. It follows its orders and does not contain a sense of self. However, over time the intelligence matrix of a Clockwork may develop eccentricities and deviate from it's normal path. This was the intention of the Watchmaker and allows them to evolve into a concious state. Once a Clockwork has achieved such a state, it then begins to learn from the world around it, abandoning its previous orders. It is still bound to the goals of the Clockwork as a race, but it is no longer required to follow a single objective. Most will begin to augment themselves in various ways in accordance with the deviations that they have undergone.
Note that only the humaniod Clockwork are equipped with such a matrix and deviations from this norm do not carry the device. There are exceptions to this however. Certain larger combat variants still contain the matrix, allowing them the become self-aware.