Thoughtforms Life

This is a 1 hour 12 minute talk presented at the 2nd Symposium on the Philosophy of Computing at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. It covers the ways in which biological computation is different from most of today's computer architectures, and concludes with a different way to think about emergence of cognition (not just complexity or unpredictability) in a way that informs how we think about biological and artificial intelligences. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Biology, Computation, Philosophy(05:50) Unconventional Biological Problem Solving(13:50) Anatomical Morphospace Navigation(21:50) Reading Bioelectric Patterns(31:00) Biology vs. Computing(36:50) Multi-Scale Competency Architecture(45:00) Creative Interpretation, Unreliable Hardware(53:00) Patterns, Machines, Agents(01:00:00) Latent Space of Patterns(01:08:00) Exploring Latent Space(01:15:00) Future of Diverse Intelligence CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~50 minute working meeting between Martin Hanczyc (https://www.martinhanczyc.com/) and Michael Levin, discussing work on autonomous droplets and more generally the field of active and agential matter (physical intelligence, somatic computation, etc.) and conceptual approaches in the field of diverse intelligence. Examples of Martin's work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37166609 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28985113 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25525912 https://w... CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~1 hour talk by Michael Levin, given to the bioengineering department at Northeastern University, on the topic of using bioelectricity as an interface for engineering agential materials. Companion papers are: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-022-00001-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33826908 CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~45 minute talk given at the Imagining Summit (https://www.artificiality.world/the-imagining-summit/) on Diverse Intelligence and synthbiosis, approaching those topics via communication with cellular collectives in the context of regenerative medicine. The newer material is at the end. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Diverse Intelligence and Goals(02:30) Beyond Discrete Natural Kinds(06:00) Framework for Diverse Intelligences(11:00) Scaling Minds, Collective Intelligence(15:30) Self-Creation of Bodies, Minds(18:30) Anatomical Order, Compiler Vision(21:30) Agential Material, Problem Solving(26:30) Bioelectricity as Cognitive Glue(31:00) Communicating with Collective Intelligence(34:30) Regenerating Limbs, Healing Wounds(37:30) Synthetic Life: Xenobots, Anthropods(42:30) Interoperability, Novel Agents(45:30) Humility, Patterns in Media(49:30) Conclusion: Expanding Sentience Idea(52:30) Acknowledgements and Funders CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~1 hour interview with the great Denis Noble (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Noble), who made seminal contributions to understanding the heartbeat and went on to contribute exciting and counter-paradigm ideas in physiology, evolutionary theory, causation, and other aspects of biology. Some of classic Denis Noble writing: https://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/book/the-music-of-life-biology-beyond-genes/ https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/dance-to-the-tune-of-life/721483A1B5BB01E837BC8A843... CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is ~1 hour conversation with Daniel McShea (https://scholars.duke.edu/person/dmcshea) and Gunnar Babcock (https://gunnarbabcock.com/) on topics of biology, evolution, information, causation, and ethics in the philosophy of mind. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a 1 hour 8 minute talk covering topics of collective intelligence in morphogenesis as a model system for thinking about the origin and scaling of cognition in diverse embodiments. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Diverse Intelligence Framework(12:00) Morphogenesis Problem Solving(22:00) Bioelectric Pattern Memory(34:30) Exploring Latent Space CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~40 minute talk on the future of medicine from my perspective given remotely to students at the University of Bologna, Italy. CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~45 minute keynote talk at the Bioelectricity and Cancer conference (https://cam.cancer.gov/research/bioelectricity_and_cancer_conference.htm) held at NIH in September 2024. CHAPTERS:(00:00) What is Cancer?(13:00) Cognitive Light Cone & Cancer(18:00) Bioelectric Layer: Cognitive Glue(23:00) Bioelectricity in Cancer(28:00) Tools: Imaging & Control(32:00) Bioelectric Diagnostics & Induction(37:00) Suppressing Cancer Bioelectrically(42:00) Roadmap and Future Directions(46:00) Conclusion & Acknowledgements CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab

This is a ~1 hour talk on morphogenesis as a collective intelligence and some specifics about cognitive glue. CHAPTERS:(00:00) Intro: Diverse Intelligence Overview(01:40) Discrete Kinds vs Continuum(03:50) Intelligence in Novel Spaces(06:00) Cells as Collective Intelligence(09:30) Morphogenesis and Agential Material(12:30) Defining Intelligence: Perturbations(17:00) Tadpole Metamorphosis Intelligence(19:30) Anatomical Homeostasis & Setpoints(21:30) Bioelectricity: Cognitive Glue(23:30) Ancient Bioelectric Networks(25:30) Reading Bioelectric Patterns(27:30) Manipulating Bioelectric States(30:00) Bioelectric Control of Organs(33:00) Planaria Pattern Memory(35:44) Two-Headed Worms & Memory(37:30) Exploring Anatomical Morphospace(40:00) Diverse Intelligence: Cognitive Light Cone(42:00) Cancer: Breakdown Collective Intelligence(44:00) Origin of Goals & Individuality(45:30) Mechanisms of Collective Alignment(47:00) Stress Sharing Mechanism(48:30) New Forms of Intelligence(49:30) Xenobots: Synthetic Life(53:00) Anthrobots: Human Cell Bots(54:30) Future of Diverse Intelligence(55:30) Conclusion and Acknowledgements CONNECT WITH ME: Podcast Website YouTube Apple Podcasts Spotify Twitter Blog The Levin Lab