Design Policy: Avoid the Excluded Middle

What if tomorrow's AI stares back with hidden inner life - and we're blind to it? Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel shares his new thesis from AI and Consciousness (2026): an unbreakable "fog" of uncertainty means we'll build legions of disputably conscious machines before we ever know. Join Dr Eric Schwitzgebel and Dr Tevin Naidu as they unpack why consciousness detection is doomed, how mimicry fools us, and what humble action looks like in the void.Send detailed comments on the manuscript by Dec 15 to receive a signed hard-copy of AI and Consciousness + your name in print! Your voice matters. Email all comments to " eschwitz " at domain: " ucr.edu" for a copy of this paper or click this link: https://faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/SchwitzAbs/AIConsciousness.htmMind. Matter. Meaning. Subscribe for philosophy that hits home. Is AI conscious yet? Debate below! 🧠🤖TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) – AI Consciousness Book Tease & Listener Comment Call(01:52) – The Epistemic Fog: Why We Won't Know AI Sentience in Time(05:30) – Defining Consciousness: What-It’s-Like-Ness & Vague Boundaries(10:45) – AI Definitions: Too Rigid for Strange Minds?(15:20) – Borderline Consciousness: Neither Yes Nor No(20:15) – Essential Features: Luminosity, Unity & 10 Possibilities(25:40) – Introspective Limits: Why Self-Report Fails Us(30:55) – Conceptual Barriers: Narrow Evidence from Human Minds(36:10) – Mimicry Argument: Behavioral Tests Fool Experts(41:25) – Turing & Chinese Room: Low-Bar vs. High-Bar Traps(46:50) – Global Workspace Theory: Ignition or Illusion?(52:30) – Higher-Order Theories: Meta-Representation Myths(58:10) – Integrated Information Theory: Φ's Unintuitive Upshots(1:03:45) – Recurrent & Learning Models: Unlimited Associative Edges(1:09:20) – Copernican Liberalism: Beyond Biological Chauvinism(1:14:55) – Strange Intelligence: Parallelism & Distributed Clouds(1:20:30) – Leapfrog Hypothesis: Social Consensus Decides Sentience(1:26:05) – Ethical Risks: Over- vs. Under-Attributing AI Consciousness(1:31:40) – Social Semi-Solution: Pragmatic Humility in the Fog(1:37:15) – Philosophical Praxis: Living the AI Consciousness QuestionEPISODE LINKS:- Eric's Website: https://faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/- Eric's Blog: https://schwitzsplinters.blogspot.com/- Eric's X: https://twitter.com/eschwitz- Eric's Round 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKJyo2_s5P8- AI and Consciousness: https://faculty.ucr.edu/~eschwitz/SchwitzAbs/AIConsciousness.htm- The Copernican Argument for Alien Consciousness; The Mimicry Argument Against Robot Consciousness: https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.00008- The Emotional Alignment Design Policy: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.06263CONNECT:- Website: https://mindbodysolution.org - YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mindbodysolution- Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com=============================Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.#EricSchwitzgebel #AI #Consciousness #PhilosophyofMind