37. AI and the Evolution of Consciousness (w/ Gregg Henriques)

Could AI become conscious? Is it already? Everyone seems to be talking about this, yet little of the discussion is actually informed by grounded theories of consciousness and mind. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Gregg Henriques, professor of psychology at James Madison University, originator of the unified theory of knowledge framework, and the author of 'A New Synthesis for Solving the Problem of Psychology' to talk about the prospect of consciousness in AI. After zeroing in on just what we mean by "consciousness" in this sense (to get past the endless equivocation commonly found in these discussions), Gregg and I get to the heart of the matter.

0:00 Introduction

2:00 The Question: Can AI Be(come) Conscious?

4:40 (Context: Gregg's Work to Address Confusions about Mind)

Part I: What Do We Mean By "Consciousness"?

8:33 Three Definitions:

9:07 (1) Cognition

18:08 (2) Subjective Conscious Experience (The One I Mean)

19:57 (3) Egoic Self-Consciousness

Part II: AI and Consciousness

23:08 Could AI Have (2) Subjective Conscious Experience?

29:00 Beyond the Turing Test Standard

33:10 Panpsychist and Idealist Challenges?

35:46 Functional Parallels Are Not Equivalence

37:50 Approaching the Fifth Joint Point

50:17 What Should We Value: Intelligence or Sentience?