Overview

Join us for a special celebration of World Philosophy Day with Professor David Braddon-Mitchell as he takes us on a deep dive into AI and its future in our lives.  

There are many “naturalistic” theories of consciousness – theories of how the physical world needs to be organised to give rise to consciousness. For many years those working on them have thought they were of theoretical interest, apart from the remote future when highly functional AI might be developed.  

But now we have highly functional AI. Few believe it’s self-aware, and highly likely it is not – yet. But when we look at the theories of consciousness, on all of them the latest Large Language Models either meet the challenge or will soon.  

So is AI aware now, and if not, when will it be?  

Professor David Braddon-Mitchell, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney, will discuss some of the theories, how they apply to AI, and try to answer the question. He will then revisit some ethical questions that come to the fore when we wonder if AI is self-aware. 

Enjoy a light lunch and refreshments as you ponder some big questions on World Philosophy Day.  

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