Rufus Griskam: Are we living in a simulation? Philosopher David Chalmers says there's a decent chance that we are, but he's okay with it. Right now, we're inside a computer program; is it really so hard to believe? Your appearance now is what we call residual self-image,. It is the mental projection of your digital self. This isn't real. I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth. The main slogan in this book, Reality Plus, is virtual reality is genuine reality.
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.