This chapter delves into the fascinating area of research on the distinction between intelligence and consciousness, discussing the criteria for sentience and the importance of experiences in understanding consciousness. The chapter also explores the possibility of machines being conscious and how the discussion about conscious machines has evolved from philosophical to scientific questions.
Prof Michael Wooldridge has been an AI researcher for more than 30 years, and in the year that AI was supercharged by ChatGPT, he is giving the Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures on the truth about AI. The Guardian science correspondent Nicola Davis sat down with him to find out how he sees AI evolving, what makes human intelligence unique, and what really keeps him awake at night. Madeleine Finlay hears from them both in this Science Weekly Christmas special.. Help support our independent journalism at
theguardian.com/sciencepod