
Jay McClelland
Stanford professor of psychology and pioneer in neural network research whose work on parallel distributed processing helped shape modern AI; he discusses distributed representations, emergence, and connections between brains and AI.
Top 5 podcasts with Jay McClelland
Ranked by the Snipd community

82 snips
Sep 18, 2025 • 1h 22min
AI & THE BRAIN: How Different Are They?
 Join Gaurav Suri, a researcher and co-author of The Emergent Mind, along with Jay McClelland, a renowned Stanford psychology professor and neural network pioneer. They dive into fascinating topics like how complexity arises from simple systems, the nature of intelligence in both humans and AI, and the implications of consciousness in machines. The discussion moves from distributed representations to the limits of human memory versus AI learning, leaving listeners to ponder the future of intelligence. 

61 snips
Sep 20, 2021 • 0sec
#222 – Jay McClelland: Neural Networks and the Emergence of Cognition
 Jay McClelland, a cognitive scientist at Stanford, delves into the fascinating interplay of neural networks and human cognition. He discusses how these networks mimic brain functions and explores the evolutionary origins of intelligence. The conversation touches on the philosophical implications of consciousness and the transformation brought by backpropagation in machine learning. McClelland also reflects on the challenges of cognitive modeling and how simpler interactions can lead to complex emergent properties, shedding light on the nature of understanding and identity. 

Oct 29, 2025 • 2h 21min
Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland, "The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines" (Basic Books, 2025)
 Gaurav Suri, an Associate Professor of Psychology at San Francisco State University, and Jay McClelland, a Professor at Stanford renowned for his neural network research, dive into the intricacies of the human mind. They explore how our conscious decisions stem from complex brain activity and compare mental emergence to ant colonies. The conversation touches on how artificial neural networks mimic human thought and discusses the implications of AI's evolving role in understanding consciousness, empathy, and decision-making. 

Oct 29, 2025 • 2h 21min
Gaurav Suri and Jay McClelland, "The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines" (Basic Books, 2025)
 Join Gaurav Suri, an associate professor of psychology, and Jay McClelland, a renowned cognitive scientist at Stanford, as they dive into their groundbreaking book, exploring how intelligence emerges in both humans and machines. They discuss how our decision-making processes resemble the operations of neural networks, drawing parallels with ant colonies and the evolution of electrical signaling. The duo also addresses the implications of their findings for understanding consciousness and AI, sparking a fascinating conversation on empathy in our technological age. 

Oct 22, 2025 • 55min
How Intelligence – Both Human and Artificial – Happens
 Join Jay McClelland, a Stanford professor specializing in neural networks, and Gaurav Suri, a computational neuroscientist at San Francisco State, as they delve into how both human and artificial intelligence operate. They explore how simple, interconnected neural units create complex behaviors and the importance of top-down expectations in perception. The duo also discusses consciousness, the challenges of reading memories from brain scans, and AI's limitations in common sense. Together, they reveal how understanding these concepts can bridge the gap between minds and machines. 


