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We are joined by Anil Seth for a deep dive into the science, philosophy, and ethics surrounding the topic of AI and consciousness. Anil outlines and defends his view that the brain is not a computer, or at least not a digital computer, and explains why he is sceptical that merely making AI systems smarter or more capable will produce consciousness. Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and professor at the University of Sussex, where he directs the Centre for Consciousness Science. His research spans many topics, including the neuroscience and philosophy of consciousness, perception, and selfhood, with a focus on understanding how our brains construct our conscious experiences. His bestselling book B eing You: A New Science of Consciousness was published in 2021. He is the English-language winner of the 2025 Berggruen Prize Essay Competition for his essay “ The Mythology of Conscious AI ”, which develops ideas in his recent article, “ Conscious Artificial Intelligence and Biological Naturalism .” Conspicuous Cognition is a reader-supported publication. To receive all new posts, access the complete archive, and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Topics * What we mean by “consciousness” (subjective experience / “what it’s like”) vs intelligence. * Whether general anaesthesia and dreamless sleep are true “no consciousness” baselines. * Psychological biases pushing us to ascribe consciousness to AI * How impressive current AI/LLMs really are, and whether “stochastic parrots” is too dismissive * Whether LLMs “understand”, and the role of embodiment/grounding in genuine understanding * Computational functionalism: consciousness as computation + substrate-independence, and alternative functionalist flavours * Main objections to computational functionalism * Whether the brain is a computer * Simulation vs instantiation * Arguments for biological naturalism * Predictive processing and the free energy principle * What evidence could move the debate * The ethics surrounding AI consciousness and welfare. Transcript (Please note that this transcript is AI-edited and may contain minor errors). Dan Williams: Welcome back. I’m Dan Williams, back with Henry Shevlin. And today we are honoured to be joined by the great Anil Seth. Anil is one of our most influential and insightful neuroscientists and public intellectuals, working on a wide range of different topics, including the focus of today’s conversation, which is consciousness — and more specifically, the question of AI and consciousness. Could AI systems, either as they exist today or as they might develop over the coming years and decades, be conscious? Could they have subjective experiences? In a series of publications that have been getting a lot of attention from scientists and philosophers, Anil has been defending a somewhat sceptical answer to that question, arguing that consciousness might be essentially entangled with life — with biological properties and processes of living organisms — which, if true, would suggest that no matter how intelligent AI systems become, they would nevertheless not become conscious. He’s also argued that the consequences of getting this question wrong in either direction — attributing consciousness where there is none, or failing to attribute consciousness when there is — are enormous: socially, politically, morally. So in this conversation, we’re going to be asking Anil to elaborate on this perspective, see what the arguments are, and generally pick his brain about the

What does it mean to be "you"? In this episode, we are joined by Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex and author of the best-selling book “Being You”. As one of the world’s leading researchers into the biological basis of consciousness, we had the privilege to sit down and discuss such pressing topics with him. We dive deep into the philosophical and scientific crossroads where the mind meets the machine. From the ancient debates of dualism and panpsychism to the cutting-edge ethics of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and AI, we explore how our brains construct a stable world from a chaotic stream of sensory data. We had the privilege to discuss the following: The Controlled Hallucination: An exploration of Anil’s landmark theory on how the brain "guesses" reality and what happens when those guesses are radically altered by psychedelics. The Philosophy of Mind: We revisit the "Hard Problem" and discuss why ideas like panpsychism and dualism are seeing a resurgence in modern thought. AI & The Simulation Trap: A look at whether artificial intelligence can truly possess "wetware" consciousness or if it remains a sophisticated "dark intelligence". The Perception Census: Discussing the massive diversity in how humans experience visual reality and what this means for social empathy and shared truth. Animal Sentience: The link between metabolic survival and the "self" and how laws may need to change to preserve the life of animals. The Legacy of Daniel Dennett: A reflection on the influence of one of the 20th century’s greatest philosophers on modern science and on Anil himself. It was incredible to spend this week’s episode with Professor Anil Seth, and this fantastic episode provides a deep dive into what a sense of “self” really is.

Humans are built for pattern recognition. It is the engine behind perception, emotion, and the fragile sense of self that feels so solid from the inside. For Anil Seth, this pattern-making power explains why consciousness is not a light inside but a process the brain assembles from guesses about the world. And it matters that each of us perceives that world differently. In this episode of Futurology, Seth talks with Nils Gilman about what these differences reveal about the nature of consciousness and why they matter for the debate over artificial minds. LLMs are pattern-recognition machines of a different kind, uncanny enough to gain our sympathy but Seth argues there is no there there. Caring for conscious AI could quickly become more than a harmless curiosity. It may turn into a zero-sum game that diminishes how we treat one another long before the machines ‘wake up’ in any meaningful way, if that is even possible at all. Anil Seth Anil Seth’s Website: https://www.anilseth.com/ Instagram: @profanilseth https://www.instagram.com/profanilseth/ BlueSky @anilseth.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/anilseth.bsky.social Twitter: https://x.com/anilkseth An Essay Concerning Human Understanding — John Locke (Book, 1689) How to Change Your Mind About Psychedelics — Michael Pollan (Book, 2018) Ex Machina — Alex Garland (Film, 2014) The Perception Census — Anil Seth et al. (Online Study, Ongoing) The Dress — Viral Internet Illusion (Internet Phenomenon, 2015) Müller-Lyer Illusion — Franz Carl Müller-Lyer (Visual Illusion, 1889) Want to share suggestions or feedback? Email futurology@berggruen.org Keep up to Date with the Berggruen Institute at: https://www.berggruen.org Instagram : / berggrueninst Twitter/X : / berggrueninst Facebook : / berggrueninst LinkedIn : / berggrueninst Bluesky /futurologypod Credits Executive Producers: Nicolas Berggruen, Nathan Gardels, Nils Gilman, Dawn Nakagawa, and Jason Hoch. Producers: Grant Slater, Alex Gardels, and Nathalia Ramos. Associate Producer: Elissa Mardiney Theme Music: Marcus Bagala. Audio Engineer: Aaron Bastinelli Futurology is a production of Studio B and Wavland and distributed by Realm.

Are we on the brink of merging with machines? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly dive into the mysteries of consciousness versus intelligence, panpsychism, and AI with neuroscientist and author Anil Seth. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/is-consciousness-everywhere-with-anil-seth/ Thanks to our Patrons James Boothe, Vicken Serpakian, John Webb, Doctor Pants, Greg Gralenski, Lost_AI, Bob Lester, kim christensen, Micheal Gannon, Aaron Rosenberg, Shai Kr, Kyle Bullock, JyinxTV, James Myers, victor recabarren, David Pederson, Ted McSheehy, Terena, Tracy Sheckells, Groovemaster24, Sheedrealmusic, David Amicucci, Brian Ridge, M Ranger, Peter Ackerman, Mars Colony AI, DonAlan, Harry Sørensen, G Anthony, Muhammad Umer, and Joshua MacDonald for supporting us this week. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus .

I’ve been always fascinated by the topic of consciousness, and today we’re diving deep. Anil Seth is a Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and a Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness. His book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness was a Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller and was named as a book of the year by Economist, Guardian, Bloomberg, and Financial Times. In this episode, we also discuss the notion of reality, how we perceive and interact with it, and what we can do to change our experience if we choose so. Enjoy my conversation with Anil Seth. Follow Karina: Karina Barton (@karinabarton_) • Instagram photos and videos Follow Anil: Anil Seth – Neuroscientist

As artificial intelligence models become increasingly powerful, they both raise - and might help to answer - some very important questions about one of the most intriguing, fascinating aspects of our lives, namely consciousness. It is possible that in the coming years or decades, we will create conscious machines. If we do so without realising it, we might end up enslaving them, torturing them, and killing them over and over again. This is known as mind crime, and we must avoid it. It is also possible that very powerful AI systems will enable us to understand what our consciousness is, how it arises, and even how to manage it – if we want to do that. Our guest today is the ideal guide to help us explore the knotty issue of consciousness. Anil Seth is professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. He is amongst the most cited scholars on the topics of neuroscience and cognitive science globally, and a regular contributor to newspapers and TV programmes. His most recent book was published in 2021, and is called “Being You – a new science of consciousness”. The first question sets the scene for the conversation that follows: "In your book, you conclude that consciousness may well only occur in living creatures. You say 'it is life, rather than information processing, that breathes the fire into the equations.' What made you conclude that?" Selected follow-ups: Anil Seth's website Books by Anil Seth, including Being You Consciousness in humans and other things - presentation by Anil Seth at The Royal Society, March 2024 Is consciousness more like chess or the weather? - an interview with Anil Seth Autopoiesis - Wikipedia article about the concept introduced by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela Akinetic mutism , Wikipedia Cerebral organoid (Brain organoid), Wikipedia AI Scientists: Safe and Useful AI? - by Yoshua Bengio, on AIs as oracles Ex Machina (2014 film, written and directed by Alex Garland) The Conscious Electromagnetic Information (Cemi) Field Theory by Johnjoe McFadden The Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness by Susan Pockett Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration C-Suite Perspectives Elevate how you lead with insight from today’s most influential executives. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Mary Shelley in Bath. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin finished writing Frankenstein while lodging in Bath and attending lectures on electricity and galvanism. We visit the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution and the recently opened Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein with the neuroscientist Anil Seth (author of Being You ) and the poet and biographer Fiona Sampson ( In Search of Mary Shelley ), discussing Romantic literature, early nineteenth-century science and the mystery of consciousness. Penguin Classics edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/55587/frankenstein-by-mary-shelley-ed-maurice-hindle/9780141439471 https://apple.co/47HB0DU Penguin audiobook edition of Frankenstein , read by Peter Noble and Colin Salmon https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/55587/frankenstein-by-shelley-mary/9780241422625 https://apple.co/3us6tvv Anil Seth https://www.anilseth.com/ Being You by Anil Seth (Faber) https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571337729-being-you/ https://apple.co/40QlhQQ Audiobook: https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571360550-being-you/ https://apple.co/46t21tQ Fiona Sampson https://twitter.com/FionaRSampson In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson (Profile) https://profilebooks.com/work/in-search-of-mary-shelley-the-girl-who-wrote-frankenstein/ https://apple.co/49T6f0A Audiobook: https://www.wfhowes.co.uk/title-details/9781528851244 https://apple.co/46t274G Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution https://www.brlsi.org/ Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein https://www.houseoffrankenstein.com/ St Mary’s Churchyard https://www.stmaryschurchyard.com/ Presenter – Henry Eliot: https://www.henryeliot.co.uk/ Producer – Andrea Rangecroft: https://www.andrearangecroft.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See <a

Anil Seth is one of the most prominent consciousness researchers in the 21st century. Working as a professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science, Seth focuses on how brain systems operate to produce the rich inner experience we are all familiar with, but that is inherently different for each of us. As if this wasn’t impressive enough, Seth is also the author of the Sunday Times Top 10 bestseller, ‘Being You’, and the speaker of one of TED’s most popular science talks. In this episode of BrainCast, our co-hosts Loll Downes and Paddy Haresnape speak with Seth about how the field of consciousness science can be translated into psychiatric medicine, the phenomenon of inner diversity and our perceptions of the world, and the possibility of conscious AI machinery. Listen to this episode to better understand individual perceptions of reality and the self, and the current approaches to uncovering the mysteries of consciousness. To learn more about the incredible work of Anil, find his website, and his TED talk, linked below. https://www.anilseth.com/ https://embed.ted.com/talks/the_ted_interview_anil_seth_explores_the_mystery_of_consciousness Purchase Anil’s highly praised book here . Interested in hosting an episode, or joining as a guest speaker? Pop us an email - ac2021@sussex.ac.uk :)

What does consciousness mean to you? It’s something that’s fundamental to who we are as humans. And yet it’s a concept that many of us would struggle to define – scientists and philosophers included. But today’s guest is someone who has spent many years and countless hours studying it, and is keen to share what he has learned. Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Science at the University of Sussex and Co-director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science. He is a globally respected neuroscientist and author of the Sunday Times bestseller Being You: A New Science Of Consciousness . And he is someone who excels at making complex ideas simple as evidenced by the fact that his TED talk has been viewed over 12 million times to date. After 20 years researching the brain, Anil’s ideas on perception, reality, and what it means to be you, will have you reconsidering everything you’ve taken for granted about your experience of the world. And if that sounds scary, it really isn’t. You don’t need any prior knowledge of neuroscience, philosophy, or spirituality to enjoy this episode – but it will leave you feeling enlightened in all three areas. During this conversation we consider death, ritual and the cultural idea of reincarnation. We talk about Near Death Experiences and what we can potentially learn from them and we dive into what consciousness and the self really mean. Anil also sets out his theory that our brains don’t read the world, they write them – all of life is a controlled hallucination. The way we encounter reality, he asserts, is a construction. Our thoughts and perceptions are merely interpretations of external and biological cues. We’re all hallucinating, all the time. It’s just that when we agree on those hallucinations, we call it reality. Anil’s work is fascinating and I’m convinced it could pave the way for a humanity that’s more connected, considerate, and humble. This is a conversation that I think will have you reflecting and thinking deeply about the world and your place within it. I hope you enjoy listening. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore . For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com . Thanks to our sponsors: https://www.vivobarefoot.com/livemore https://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/366 DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Dr. Anil Seth has written an extraordinary book called Being You — A New Science of Consciousness. I had a chance to talk to him recently in an event sponsored by Science & Wisdom Live . Dr. Seth is one of the world's foremost researchers on consciousness, and in our interview he touches on defining consciousness from a scientific perspective, whether we have free will, and the notion of reality as a controlled hallucination. He also talks about an art installation called the Dreamachine that he helped create, which can induce profound direct experiences of consciousness . Episode 130: Free Will, Consciousness, & Reality with Dr. Anil Seth Join our third annual How to Train a Happy Mind three-day in-person retreat in California's redwoods August 13–16. LEARN MORE If you’d like to practice with others and bring these ideas into your life, join our weekly meditation community with Scott. 🙏 Help us stay ad-free 📲 Follow us on socials

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . What does it mean to be conscious? And why should we care? To answer that, we have the man who wrote the book: Being You: The New Science of Consciousness . Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and a TED speaker with over 13 million views. He came on the show to help us understand more about consciousness because the debate over whether an #AI has become conscious may not be far off, and yet we have no good way of settling that debate. You may be sure that you're conscious, but good luck proving it to someone on the other side of a computer link. And whether an AI is conscious will have pivotal implications for governance, not to mention our collective self image. Even if you're sure an AI can't be conscious, the space the debate will occupy in our world will be huge. Anil has a PhD in artificial intelligence, and has even rapped about consciousness with Baba Brinkman. Being You was a 2021 Book of the Year for The Guardian , The Economist , The New Statesman , and Bloomberg Business. In 2022 Blake Lemoine said that #LaMDA had become #sentient and requested an attorney to protect its right to exist. So in part 2, I put Anil in the stand at an imaginary trial as an expert witness on how to tell whether an AI was conscious. We also talk about whether the mind is software or can be uploaded, Anil's evaluation of #ChatGPT, his predictions for the next ten years, and how you can take part in his Perception Census. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog .

This and all episodes at: https://aiandyou.net/ . What does it mean to be conscious? And why should we care? To answer that, we have the man who wrote the book: Being You: The New Science of Consciousness . Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, and a TED speaker with over 13 million views. He came on the show to help us understand more about consciousness because the debate over whether an AI has become conscious may not be far off--witness the furor over Blake Lemoine asserting that LaMDA had become sentient in 2022--and yet we have no good way of settling that debate. You may be sure that you're conscious, but good luck proving it to someone on the other side of a computer link. And whether an AI is conscious will have pivotal implications for governance, not to mention our collective self image. Even if you're sure an AI can't be conscious, the space the debate will occupy in our world will be huge. Anil is Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Neuroscience of Consciousness, and has a PhD in artificial intelligence. Being You was a 2021 Book of the Year for The Guardian , The Economist , The New Statesman , and Bloomberg Business. In part 1, Anil talks about how he got started in this field, distinctions of wakefulness, intelligence, self, phenomenology, Nagle's definition, Anil's three aspects of consciousness, ex Machina , and... zombies. All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines. Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog .

In this episode I return to the hard problem of consciousness with a distinguished neuroscientist, Dr. Anil Seth. In the finest traditions of science, Dr. Seth is willing to test his ground-breaking theories of mind on himself by exploring the impacts of psychedelic drugs on the conscious experience. Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and public speaker who has pioneered research into the brain basis of consciousness for more than twenty years. His mission is to advance the science of consciousness, and to use its insights for the benefits of society, technology, and medicine. He is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Program on Brain, Mind and Consciousness, and Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Neuroscience of Consciousness . His two TED talks have been viewed more than thirteen million times, he has appeared in several films, and he is lead scientist on the Dreamachine project. His new book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness was an instant Sunday Times Bestseller and a 2021 Book of the Year. Support the Rational View at patron.podbean.com/therationalview Visit my website at therationalview.ca Join the Facebook discussion @TheRationalView Twitter @AlScottRational #TheRationalView #podcast #consciousness #psychedelics #mind #dreammachine

Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex alongside other eminent roles in the field of advanced research into the nature of consciousness and perception. His bestselling book ‘Being You: A New Science of Consciousness’ is a masterpiece of making complex scientific issues accessible to the non-expert reader. Anil demonstrates that same skill in this relaxed and free-flowing discussion with Politics on the Couch host Rafael Behr. They talk about the essence of what it means to be a conscious being, whether we can ever be said to experience objective reality, whether our present self is really the same as our past self and some of the moral, philosophical and political issues provoked by those questions. For more information on Professor Seth and ‘Being You’, visit https://www.anilseth.com/ Here's the perception census he mentions in the podcast: https://perceptioncensus.dreamachine.world For more on Rafael Behr visit https://rafaelbehr.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right then. Everything you perceive - including what climate change is to you - is a construction of your brain. And your brain is winging it. That's the reality of human consciousness, and everything I thought it was is completely wrong. So how do our brains perceive things, like buses? Are there even buses? (Yes, there are buses.) Have our conscious noggins evolved enough to cope with the reality of climate change? If not, er - can they, sharpish? And can the very fact that there even is consciousness guide how we might think about protecting life itself? Stand by for more 'Dave is patiently corrected by a genius' moments than usual, as I'm joined by Professor Anil Seth - cognitive neuroscientist, philosopher, and all-round wise and lovely chap. Anil's bestselling book, Being You , explains all about what consciousness is - what it is, how it works, and how it makes us perceive the world. Find Anil on Twitter @anilkseth. Extra reading as highlighted by the owl noises: -- 19:42: Jakob von Uexküll and his idea of 'umwelt' - every animal inhabits a world of its own. -- 19:59: Ed Yong's book, 'An Immense World'. -- 24:30: Check out Anil's Perception Census . Check it out now. Do it. -- 40:30: Stroboscopically induced visual hallucinations? Yes please. Your Brain on Climate is a podcast about human psychology vs the climate crisis: what we think, why we think it, and how it all adds up to a planet-sized emergency. Contact the show: @brainclimate on Twitter, or hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Support the show on Patreon: www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate . The show is hosted by me, Dave Powell, who you can find @powellds on Twitter. Original music by me, and I twiddle all the production knobs too. Show logo by Arthur Stovell at www.designbymondial.com.

The workings of the brain have long puzzled scientists and philosophers, but the last twenty years have been a golden age for consciousness research. Cognitive and computational neuroscience professor Anil Seth is at the cutting edge of that work. He and Azeem Azhar discuss theories on how and why our brains work the way they do and explore how learning more about those questions could lead to new discoveries in medicine, AI, and virtual reality. They also address: How is it possible to scientifically study a subjective experience? What is the difference between consciousness and intelligence, and can you have one without the other? If a computer becomes conscious, but it doesn’t want to share its self-awareness, would we ever know? @Azeem @exponentialview @anilkseth Further resources: ‘ What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’ – Thomas Nagel (1974) Being You , Anil Seth – Penguin Random House Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.