I don't say we are in a simulation, I'm not sure, but I do think it's a serious possibility. We can raise the question, could this be happening to us? René Descartes and many people say that if we are inA simulation, then nothing is real, everything is an illusion. This is where I want to depart actually from the philosophical tradition,. The philosophical tradition has got some things wrong. It might just be a rather local simulation of me and this table and this bottle and book and smartphone and so on. There are still, even if I'm in a Simulation, it is telling that I can't actually see anybody out there right now.
Throughout the year, AI development has taken significant strides. We are living in a society that is becoming increasingly reliant on digital technology, which soon could be flooded with computer-generated content. As technology advances, it will become harder to distinguish between the virtual and the real, eventually almost impossible. Is this a cause for concern?
In part one of this partnership with the Swedish publishing house and ideas forum Fri Tanke we hear from keynote speaker David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy at New York University.
We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be.
This event took place in May 2023 in Stockholm.
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.
And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency .
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices