As technology exponentially accelerates, fears regarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society increase with each passing day. Reassuring signs Professor Anil Seth, one of the world’s foremost experts on consciousness and author of Being You, is worried. He concurs that this super charged pace of AI development is being done without a true understanding of consciousness emerging from this process, and what it could mean.
AI has existed for almost one hundred years in the form of computers. Perhaps its most iconic early depiction is still in Fritz Lang’s 1927 film “Metropolis.” In this iconic film, a robot impersonates a real woman, raising questions about identity and consciousness that resonate even today. Professor Seth warns that within a few years, society may witness humanoid robots and deepfakes that appear conscious, further complicating our understanding of what consciousness truly means.
At Sussex University, Professor Seth heads a multidisciplinary team that brings together young specialists in AI, computing, neuroscience and philosophy. Their approach seeks to dissect the complex notion of consciousness into smaller, more manageable parts, as they endeavor to tackle one of the most profound questions in science and philosophy: what is consciousness?
This exploration is not merely academic. In 1994, philosopher David Chalmers famously framed the hard question versus the easy consciousness in a conference held in Tucson, Arizona. He is still best known for raising the “hard problem” of consciousness. This challenge is to describe how, and why, very complex neural activities are responsible for the conscious experience. In view of the collective recent leap forwards in AI, this issue has become dramatically more pressing.
One of Seth’s core team members, Professor Murray Shanahan, explains something truly essential. Technology firms need to truly grasp the ecosystems they are designing in. One of the big concerns, he says, is that we don’t fully understand what’s going on inside these large language models (LLMs).
“We don’t actually understand very well the way in which LLMs work internally, and that is some cause for concern.” – Prof Murray Shanahan
The urgency surrounding these discussions is palpable. As Professor Seth contends, the discussions about the implications of AI should not be hurried. He reflects on past technological revolutions, stating, “We did not have these conversations enough with the rise of social media, much to our collective detriment. With AI, it is not too late. We can decide what we want.”
Despite the enthusiasm around AI’s potential, Professor Seth cautions against what he describes as “blindly optimistic and driven by human exceptionalism” views regarding AI consciousness. He is making the objection that mere computation is not sufficient for consciousness. Rather, it’s inextricably tied to what it means to live a full life.
“A strong case can be made that it isn’t computation that is sufficient for consciousness but being alive.” – Prof Anil Seth
He highlights the intrinsic differences between brains and computers:
“In brains, unlike computers, it’s hard to separate what they do from what they are.” – Prof Anil Seth
This alarmist view is deepened by the projection of Professor Kate Shanahan, who believes that our human relationships will more and more be reflected onto AI relationships. He claims that AI will soon act as educators, companions, opponents in video games, and yes—romantic partners.
“Increasingly human relationships are going to be replicated in AI relationships… Whether that is a good or bad thing, I don’t know, but it is going to happen, and we are not going to be able to prevent it.” – Prof Murray Shanahan
These transformations raise important ethical issues about how AI should be integrated into society. It equally provokes us to ask, how will humans work with these complex systems going forward. Researchers are urgently working to address these issues. Meanwhile, they are grappling with a profound question about what kind of future we want AI to help create for humanity.
“Are our progeny. Down the road, machines like these will be entities that will be on Earth and maybe on other planets when we are no longer around.” – Manuel Blum
Chalmers argues that instead of worrying about an AI takeover, humans should welcome an intelligence amplification via these systems.
“The ideal outcome would be one where humanity shares in this new intelligence bonanza.” – David Chalmers
Behind all these debates, Seth’s team at Sussex University are building cutting edge tools to explore deeper into consciousness’ mysteries. Another particularly cool project is the “Dreamachine.” Flashing lights are then employed to shine a light on the brain’s inner workings and explore how we think.
“It’s lovely, absolutely lovely. It’s like flying through my own mind!” – Pallab Ghosh