Why AI is unlikely to become conscious | Anil Seth
5/1/202617 min
We see consciousness in AI the same way we see faces in clouds, says neuroscientist Anil Seth. He explores the all-too-human tendency to project inner life onto machines that are brilliant mimics, not sentient beings, and gives a definitive answer to the urgent question: Will AI ever gain consciousness?
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First 90 secondsElise Hu· Host0:01
[gentle music] You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. We see consciousness in AI the same way we see faces in clouds, says neuroscientist Anil Seth, an all-too-human tendency to project inner life onto machines.
Anil Seth· Guest0:21
Just because consciousness and intelligence go together in us does not mean that they go together in general. The assumption that they do, well, that's a reflection of our own psychology, not an insight into the nature of reality. We are built to be seduced, like Narcissus, by our own reflections, and so we see ourselves in our algorithms.
Elise Hu· Host0:44
In this talk, Seth makes a careful case against conscious AI and explains why mistaking a sophisticated mirror for a mind could reshape ethics, power, and what it means to be human in ways we are not prepared for.
Anil Seth· Guest0:57
The AI we have is already smart, at least in some ways, but could it ever be conscious? Will a robot ever gaze at a sunset and experience the beautiful colors, the reds and the oranges? Will it feel a sense of beauty or a rush of joy?
Elise Hu· Host1:14
That's coming up right after a short break. [gentle music] And now our TED Talk of the Day.