logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
50m 40s

Consciousness in the machine | Donald Ho...

Iai
About this episode

Is fully conscious AI just around the corner?

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

Earlier this year, Google fired Blake Lemoine, for claiming that the company's chatbot was a self aware person. While the claim was derided, the belief that one day AI will become conscious is widespread and, according to a recent survey, held by 79% of experts. But many claim this is a fundamental error. While machines are becoming ever more capable and intelligent we still have no idea how a machine could create consciousness nor are neuroscientists able to provide an explanation for how the human brain does so.

Should we accept that consciousness arises in biological beings and that AI just isn't made of the 'right stuff'? Or, is it possible that a computer that observes, interacts, and represents its own internal state to itself might also give rise to consciousness? Then again, is the puzzle deeper still on the grounds that we have no means of determining whether an intelligent machine, an organism or even a person other than ourselves is conscious or not?

Legendary anti-reality theorist Donald Hoffman, fearless computer scientist and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup and distinguished AI ethicist and philosopher Susan Schneider lock horns over the possibility of AI consciousness. Theories of Everything's Curt Jaimungal hosts. 

There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=consciousness-in-the-machine


See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
After postmodernism | Hilary Lawson, Robin van den Akker, Abby Innes, Sophie Scott-Brown
Hugely influential in the latter decades of the 20th century, postmodernism transformed many academic disciplines and culture at large. Associated with an attack on objective truth and the uniqueness of meaning, it called into question the whole edifice of knowledge which Western ... Show More
47m 13s
Oct 6
The language of the unconscious: Pyschoanalysis and AI | Alenka Zupančič
As ChatGPT and AI increase their presence in our lives, have we interrogated enough what this means for, and about, our collective psyche?In one of the most original critiques of ChatGPT, Slovenian Lacanian philosopher Alenka Zupančič interprets large language models as a form of ... Show More
29m 46s
Sep 29
The Enlightenment is racist (and why) | Kehinde Andrews
The Enlightenment has faced a lot of criticism in recent years - its defenders and detractors often come head to head, scrambling to articulate its ultimate value or lack thereof to contemporary society. This podcast contributes to this wider debate and question facing all those ... Show More
20m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
How to Think About AI Consciousness With Anil Seth
Will AI ever start to think by itself? If it did, how would we know, and what would it mean?In this episode, Dr. Anil Seth and Aza discuss the science, ethics, and incentives of artificial consciousness. Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the Univers ... Show More
47m 58s
Feb 2022
184 | Gary Marcus on Artificial Intelligence and Common Sense
Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us. Deep-learning algorithms are used to classify images, suggest songs to us, and even to drive cars. But the quest to build truly “human” artificial intelligence is still coming up short. Gary Marcus argues that this is not an accide ... Show More
1h 24m
Nov 2018
Artificial Intelligence
An artificial intelligence capable of improving itself runs the risk of growing intelligent beyond any human capacity and outside of our control. Josh explains why a superintelligent AI that we haven’t planned for would be extremely bad for humankind. (Original score by Point Lob ... Show More
41m 52s
Apr 2019
Part One: Conscious AI / Robert LoCascio
Artificial Intelligence, AI, is now a reality. It lives with us in our pockets, in our homes, and in our...minds? We take on this brave new world in two parts, linked by one critical question: will AI ever be truly conscious? In Part One, we speak to founder & CEO of LivePerson, ... Show More
45m 26s
May 2021
TechStuff Rerun: Machine Consciousness
Is it really possible for a machine to achieve consciousness? What does consciousness even mean? From philosophy to technological obstacles, we look at the problems and possibilities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste ... Show More
42m 52s
Nov 2022
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam Harris
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most comp ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2024
How AI is unlocking the secrets of nature and the universe | Demis Hassabis
Can AI help us answer life's biggest questions? In this visionary conversation, Google DeepMind cofounder and CEO Demis Hassabis delves into the history and incredible capabilities of AI with head of TED Chris Anderson. Hassabis explains how AI models like AlphaFold — which accur ... Show More
24m 59s
Apr 2021
The race to build AI that benefits humanity | Sam Altman
In this new season of the TED Interview, conversations with people who make a case for...optimism. Not some blind, hopeful feeling but the conviction that somewhere out there are solutions that, given the right attention and resources, can guide us out of the dark place we’re in. ... Show More
1h 9m
Apr 2021
The race to build AI that benefits humanity | Sam Altman
In this new season of the TED Interview, conversations with people who make a case for...optimism. Not some blind, hopeful feeling but the conviction that somewhere out there are solutions that, given the right attention and resources, can guide us out of the dark place we’re in. ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 2022
Unlocking the mysteries of our brain | David Eagleman
The way that our brain perceives the world is profoundly informed by our senses–so what would happen if we could heighten them—or even create a whole NEW sense? In one of his last episodes as host of the show, Chris Anderson kicks off our series on the future of intelligence by i ... Show More
57m 27s