Many people are, this is a very deep and controversial question. Whether a digital system could be conscious in the way that biological humans are. I say at least 50%. How probable is it that if they're possible, enough civilizations will create them that most beings are simulations? Put those two together, mortify them out, you get a 25% probability that most beings like us are simulated.
Last year, Rufus sat down with philosopher David Chalmers to talk about the allure of virtual reality, whether robots will ever achieve consciousness, and the likelihood that we’re living in a simulation (David thinks it’s about 25 percent). It was a fascinating, freewheeling conversation, and we left large chunks of it on the cutting room floor. Now, though, with ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms taking the world by storm, those unaired sections, many of which were about the ethics of artificial intelligence, feel super relevant. So today, we’re sharing our complete interview with David. Buckle up. It’s a wild ride.