Can, will and should machines be conscious?

If some entity is conscious, or ‘sentient’, it makes sense to wonder what it is like to be that entity. You might ask, what is it like to be a dog, or even what is like to be a bat. Could one in principle ask the same question of a current or future AI system? Dr Sanjay Modgil will draw on our latest neuroscientific and philosophical theories of consciousness, as well as literary and cinematic depictions of AI, to suggest answers to this question, and to speculate as to what impact machines that we believe to be conscious, will have on humanity.

Speaker

Dr Sanjay Modgil is a Reader in Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Informatics, King's College London, and a visiting Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Milan. His research and teaching focuses on the ethics and the philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (AI), formal logic, and models of dialogue to enable humans and AI systems to communicate and reason together. See https://nms.kcl.ac.uk/sanjay.modgil/ for more details of his work and activities.

This event is in-person only. Please register on Eventbrite.

This event is part of the King's Festival of Artificial Intelligence, running from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 May 2024.

If you’re interested in this event, you may also want to join us for:

• AI. Art. You.
• Does it matter that intelligence has a history?
• From welfare to tenant state? State-tech relations in the age of AI
• Creative or Dangerous? Exploring the pros and cons of fake audio

Festival event times may be subject to change. Any changes will be communicated to registrants via Eventbrite emails.

Please note, King's events are free, which means we routinely overbook to allow for no-shows and avoid empty seats. Admission is on a first come, first served basis, so please arrive in good time to avoid disappointment. We will not be able to admit those without tickets or latecomers.