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We may never be able to tell if AI becomes conscious, argues philosopher

A University of Cambridge philosopher argues that our evidence for what constitutes consciousness is far too limited to tell if or when artificial intelligence has made the leap—and a valid test for doing so will remain out of reach for the foreseeable future.

As artificial consciousness shifts from the realm of sci-fi to become a pressing ethical issue, Dr. Tom McClelland says the only “justifiable stance” is agnosticism: we simply won’t be able to tell, and this will not change for a long time—if ever.

While issues of AI rights are typically linked to consciousness, McClelland argues that consciousness alone is not enough to make AI matter ethically. What matters is a particular type of consciousness—known as sentience—which includes positive and negative feelings.

How to build an A.I. brain that can surpass human intelligence | Ben Goertzel

How to build an A.I. brain that can surpass human intelligence.

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Artificial intelligence has the capability to far surpass our intelligence in a relatively short period of time. But AI expert Ben Goertzel knows that the foundation has to be strong for that artificial brain power to grow exponentially. It’s all good to be super-intelligent, he argues, but if you don’t have rationality and empathy to match it the results will be wasted and we could just end up with an incredible number-cruncher. In this illuminating chat, he makes the case for thinking bigger. Ben Goertzel’s most recent book is AGI Revolution: An Inside View of the Rise of Artificial General Intelligence.

BEN GOERTZEL:

Ben Goertzel is CEO and chief scientist at SingularityNET, a project dedicated to creating benevolent decentralized artificial general intelligence. He is also chief scientist of financial prediction firm Aidyia Holdings and robotics firm Hanson Robotics; Chairman of AI software company Novamente LLC; Chairman of the Artificial General Intelligence Society and the OpenCog Foundation. His latest book is AGI Revolution: An Inside View of the Rise of Artificial General Intelligence.

TRANSCRIPT:

The Governance Case for Tesla Taking a Pre-IPO Stake in SpaceX

Elon Musk is considering Tesla taking a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX to integrate their businesses, accelerate ambitious projects, and increase the value of both companies ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.

Strategic Governance Alignment.

🔄 Q: Why should Tesla acquire a pre-IPO stake in SpaceX rather than waiting until after the IPO? A: A pre-IPO stake resolves governance and conflict risks before SpaceX’s planned $30B IPO in mid-2026, ensuring all transactions are recorded as part of the IPO and avoiding complications that could impact IPO pricing or create persistent post-IPO conflicts between the two companies.

🎯 Q: What is the core governance problem Tesla shareholders currently face with SpaceX? A: Tesla shareholders are exposed to SpaceX outcomes through dependencies on Starlink connectivity, orbital compute, and launch cadence without any ownership rights, governance rights, or downside protection as the companies converge operationally but not financially.

⚖️ Q: How would a pre-IPO stake transaction affect Tesla’s ownership structure and Musk’s control? A: The transaction would dilute Tesla by 20% but could raise market cap to $1.62-2T, increasing Musk’s stake to 22.1–24% and his net worth approaching $1T, enabling him to achieve 25% control significantly earlier than under the compensation plan.

Capital Requirements and Infrastructure.

Robot-Assisted Exercise May Improve Mobility in Advanced Heart Failure

Adults with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who wore a lightweight exosuit during exercise showed significant improvements in the 6-minute walk distance and daily step counts, which were not statistically significant in those who received nonassisted conventional exercise training.


Robot-assisted training with a lightweight exosuit may help patients with advanced heart failure walk more and help them stay engaged in rehabilitation, a study finds.

Functions in Hyperspace

Functions describe the world. Join me on a tour of hyperspace, and see the many strange creatures that live there. They are just functions with lots of inputs and outputs. They are parametric surfaces that take inputs u and v, and output spatial x, y, z coordinates, and r, g, b, a color outputs. This produces a colored 3D surface. Then you can add additional inputs and visualize a single slice of each input parameter, and slide through different parameter values to see different slices of the function over time. This causes the colored surface to evolve over time.
I take my time to build up the mathematical intuitions behind visualizing functions, starting with 1-in-1-out functions, and pushing it up to 7-in-7-out functions, and beyond.

Enter Hyperspace: https://evolvecode.io/hyperspace/inde… Code: https://github.com/MaxRobinsonTheGrea… Discord: / discord ~SUPPORT ME~ Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?via=EmergentGarden Patreon: / emergentgarden Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/emergentgarden Twitter: / max_romana Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emergentgard… ~SOURCES~ Functions Describe the World: • On Mathematical Maturity Thomas Garrity Hyperspace animation: • Blender Hyperspace Jump Shell Surfaces: https://www.geogebra.org/m/twfwsxb9 Music: / @acolyte-compositions Most come from this new album: • Stellar Nurseries (Full Album) AI Disclaimer: I used AI code tools for the website and animations. No AI video, images, script, voice, or music were used. ~TIMESTAMPS~ (0:00) Functions in Hyperspace (2:47) Visualizing Functions (5:37) Parametric Surfaces (10:01) Slices of Slices (14:55) More Parameters (18:28) Exploring the Zoo.
Source Code: https://github.com/MaxRobinsonTheGrea
Discord: / discord.

~SUPPORT ME~
Scrimba: https://scrimba.com/?via=EmergentGarden.
Patreon: / emergentgarden.
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/emergentgarden.
Twitter: / max_romana.
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emergentgard

~SOURCES~
Functions Describe the World: • On Mathematical Maturity Thomas Garrity.
Hyperspace animation: • Blender Hyperspace Jump.
Shell Surfaces: https://www.geogebra.org/m/twfwsxb9

Music: / @acolyte-compositions.
Most come from this new album: • Stellar Nurseries (Full Album)

AI Disclaimer:

Consciousness breaks from the physical world by keeping the past alive

Conscious experiences of change, from seeing a bird take flight to listening to a melody, cannot be broken down into ever smaller units of experience. They must inhabit what William James called the “specious present,” a sliding window of time where the immediate past and present overlap. Philosopher Lyu Zhou argues that this exposes a deep rift between mind and matter. When the physical world undergoes change, it does so through succession – one physical state replaces another, and the past is gone – whereas consciousness requires the active retention of the past inside the present, revealing its fundamentally non-physical nature.

1. Consciousness, change and time

You are now conscious as you read this article. Is your consciousness physical? Many today think it is. They claim that it either is a physical system made of matter – most likely the neural network of your brain – or is realized by matter through a physical process, most likely by your brain through a neural biochemical process. However, I hope to convince you that this view is wrong. I hope to show you that your immediate present consciousness has certain features that physical systems and processes cannot have.

We 3D Printed a Brain

Join us on this fascinating journey as we delve into the world of 3D printing and bring a brain to life. From designing the complex neural networks to layer by layer printing, we’ll take you through the entire process of creating a realistic brain replica using cutting-edge 3D printing technology. Witness the intricate details and textures that make this brain model a true marvel of modern innovation. Whether you’re a science enthusiast, a 3D printing aficionado, or simply curious about the possibilities of additive manufacturing, this video is sure to leave you amazed and inspired. So, sit back, relax, and get ready to explore the incredible world of 3D printing.

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