Mark Solms, a pioneering neuropsychologist, and Karl Friston, a leading neuroscientist, dive deep into the nature of consciousness and artificial intelligence. They discuss the complexities of defining consciousness and its relationship to intelligence, arguing that machine awareness poses ethical dilemmas. The duo explores whether artificial systems can achieve genuine feelings and subjective experiences, emphasizing that true understanding cannot be merely mimicked. Their insights offer a profound perspective on the future of sentience and the potential for engineering artificial consciousness.
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insights INSIGHT
Intelligence As Inference
Karl Friston frames intelligence as inference: agents build generative models to predict and act on their future sensorium.
Consciousness depends on identifying which model attributes enable an agentic, feeling-capable future-pointing perspective.
insights INSIGHT
Feeling Is The Core Of Consciousness
Mark Solms defines consciousness as the capacity to feel: "there is something it is like" to be a system.
This minimal phenomenal feeling need not include self-reflection or human-level awareness.
insights INSIGHT
Consciousness Is An Inferential Observation
Friston emphasizes consciousness is only ever inferred by observers via evidence on an agent's Markov blanket.
Therefore recognition of consciousness is an act of inference, not direct knowledge.
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Professors Karl Friston & Mark Solms, pioneers in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, and theoretical biology, delve into the frontiers of consciousness: "Can We Engineer Artificial Consciousness?". From mimicry to qualia, this historic conversation tackles whether artificial consciousness is achievable - and how. Essential viewing/listening for anyone interested in the mind, AI ethics, and the future of sentience. Subscribe to the channel for more profound discussions!Professor Karl Friston is one of the most highly cited living neuroscientists in history. He is Professor of Neuroscience at University College London and holds Honorary Doctorates from the University of Zurich, University of York and Radboud University. He is the world expert on brain imaging, neuroscience, and theoretical neurobiology, and pioneers the Free-Energy Principle for action and perception, with well-over 300,000 citations.
Professor Mark Solms is director of Neuropsychology in the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital (Departments of Psychology and Neurology), an Honorary Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the Royal London Hospital School of Medicine, an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists, and the President of the South African Psychoanalytical Association. TIMESTAMPS:(0:00) - Introduction (0:45) - Defining Consciousness & Intelligence(8:20) - Minimizing Free Energy + Maximizing Affective States(9:07) - Knowing if Something is Conscious(13:40) - Mimicry & Zombies(17:13) - Homology in Consciousness Inference(21:27) - Functional Criteria for Consciousness(25:10) - Structure vs Function Debate(29:35) - Mortal Computation & Substrate(35:33) - Biological Naturalism vs Functionalism(42:42) - Functional Architectures & Independence(48:34) - Is Artificial Consciousness Possible?(55:12) - Reportability as Empirical Criterion(57:28) - Feeling as Empirical Consciousness(59:40) - Mechanistic Basis of Feeling(1:06:24) - Constraints that Shape Us(1:12:24) - Actively Building Artificial Consciousness (Mark's current project)(1:24:51) - Hedonic Place Preference Test & Ethics(1:30:51) - ConclusionEPISODE LINKS:- Karl's Round 1: https://youtu.be/Kb5X8xOWgpc- Karl's Round 2: https://youtu.be/mqzyKs2Qvug- Karl's Lecture 1: https://youtu.be/Gp9Sqvx4H7w- Karl's Lecture 2: https://youtu.be/Sfjw41TBnRM- Karl's Lecture 3: https://youtu.be/dM3YINvDZsY- Mark's Round 1: https://youtu.be/qqM76ZHIR-o- Mark's Round 2: https://youtu.be/rkbeaxjAZm4CONNECT:- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com - Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/mindbodysolution- YouTube: https://youtube.com/mindbodysolution- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu- Facebook: https://facebook.com/drtevinnaidu - Instagram: https://instagram.com/drtevinnaidu- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu=============================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.
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