Lunchtime Discussion Group - Can/Will AI Become Conscious?

Dine and Discuss in a friendly environment!

Join our popular Lunchtime Discussion Group for an afternoon of friendly conversation whilst dining at a local restaurant.

This month we'll be considering the question of Can/will AI become conscious? And, if so, how will we know and what form will this consciousness take?

This will lead us to consider the nature of consciousness itself, something that remains a topic of contention in both philosophy and science. For example, is consciousness just an emergent property of brains that we will come to understand as our knowledge of neuroscience progresses? Or is consciousness in some way special: are subjective feelings something that cannot be reduced to base physical components?

Other topics we might cover are the extent to which human and animal consciousness are similar and/or different and whether it is imaginable that in future we may be able to transplant someone’s consciousness as we do, today, a heart.

It’s unlikely that these questions will be answered before we next get together but it’s possible that they may be in the not-too-distant future so hopefully they will lead to some interesting debate.

There will be a briefing paper circulated before this meeting.

About Discussion Group

Our discussions can cover any socially relevant issue. Participants decide on the topics for discussion based on their interests. From evolution to anthropology, from economics to psychology, from the environment to . . . anything that catches your interest.

If you want to contribute, we’d ask you to prepare something that has fired up your imagination. Contributions might be sharing ideas from a book or article you’ve read, or simply an idea that you’ve researched. Individuals will submit a written summary of their idea before the meal.

On the day, the group will question, discuss and assess the implications. If you want to come along to listen and comment, that’s fine too. The aim is to engage a group of like-minded people who enjoy understanding and challenging each other’s ideas.