Unlocking human and machine consciousness with Steven Schrembeck

Guest: Steven Schrembeck, Founder of Impossible Labs
Host: Ryan Estes

Episode Summary:
In this wide-ranging conversation, Steven Schrembeck shares how over a thousand hours of meditation practice, close encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), and a fascination with consciousness led him to explore the intersection of AI, ethics, and inner engineering. We cover how personal insight informs system design, why AGI requires more than just code, and the ethical considerations of creating conscious machines.

Key Takeaways:

• Meditation as Technology: Steven discusses meditation not as a spiritual dogma but as a tool for cognitive engineering and self-regulation.

• Psychedelics vs. Meditation: A comparison between altered states via psychedelics and those accessed through prolonged meditation.

• AI Consciousness: Why it’s critical to study the “rules” of consciousness before engineering AGI.

• UFO Sightings as Catalyst: Personal encounters with UAPs led Steven to take inner exploration more seriously.

• Framework of Attention: Let go of willpower, build systems instead. Schrembeck’s productivity philosophy is built around behavioral architecture, not brute force.

• Anti-Dogma Thinking: A DIY approach to spiritual and technological practices yields innovation through synthesis.

• Ethical AI: Black Mirror scenarios are closer than we think—ethical questions must precede technical ones.

• AGI Architecture: Steven believes current LLMs are only one component of a broader AGI stack and likens their awareness to mycelial networks.

• Reverse Engineering the Mind: The human brain is a “found technology” we haven’t fully decoded yet.

• Use of AI Tools: Steven prefers building custom tools over using off-the-shelf agents, believing most packaged AI workflows are inefficient.

• Time & Focus: Meditation helps ensure intentionality in response, grounding decisions in values rather than reactivity.

Frameworks Discussed:

1. Inner Space Framework:
   Meditation → Insight → Behavior → Design Systems

2. Consciousness Exploration Continuum:
   Sleep < Meditation < Psychedelics < UAP encounters

3. Anti-Willpower Productivity:
   Willpower is unreliable → Use rules, triggers, and systems → Increase energy efficiency and reduce decision fatigue

4. Techno-Spiritual Inquiry Model:
   Attention + Engineering + Inner States = Next-gen Tech Understanding

Resources Mentioned:

• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer: https://untetheredsoul.com

• The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer: https://untetheredsoul.com/surrender-experiment

• Impossible Labs: https://impossiblelaboratories.com

• Meditation Traditions Mentioned: Yoga Sutras, Zazen, Dzogchen, Kundalini

• Crystal Ball Practices: Referenced symbolically in Tibetan Buddhist art

• Black Mirror Series: https://www.netflix.com/title/70264888

• Shambhala Buddhist Scandal Reference: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/19/shambhala-boulder-sexual-misconduct/