The discussants are interested in exploring consciousness and sentience from a fundamental physics perspective using the free energy principle and active inference framework.
They want to develop mechanistic explanations for how feelings and experiences arise from basic biological mechanisms.
Engineering an artificial system that has rudimentary feelings could help demonstrate the validity of their theories.
They discuss the challenge of objectively proving the existence of subjective experience and other minds.
Simple forms of sentience may exist in single cells and arise from an agent making choices rooted in what can be considered feelings.
They discuss the need for shared existential struggles and compatible goal settings for bonds to form between humans and artificial agents.
Arbitrary values like survival and affiliation emerge from our mammalian nature but more fundamental criteria may exist.
Consciousness may exist at larger collective scales implemented by interactions at smaller scales.
Immersing oneself in a virtual environment mimicking an artificial agent’s experience could provide empathy and evidence for that agent’s sentience.
It is difficult to intuitively conceive of consciousness at larger collective scales beyond one’s own self.
The discussants are interested in exploring consciousness and sentience from a fundamental physics perspective using the free energy principle and active inference framework.
They want to develop mechanistic explanations for how feelings and experiences arise from basic biological mechanisms.
Engineering an artificial system that has rudimentary feelings could help demonstrate the validity of their theories.
They discuss the challenge of objectively proving the existence of subjective experience and other minds.
Simple forms of sentience may exist in single cells and arise from an agent making choices rooted in what can be considered feelings.
They discuss the need for shared existential struggles and compatible goal settings for bonds to form between humans and artificial agents.
Arbitrary values like survival and affiliation emerge from our mammalian nature but more fundamental criteria may exist.
Consciousness may exist at larger collective scales implemented by interactions at smaller scales.
Immersing oneself in a virtual environment mimicking an artificial agent’s experience could provide empathy and evidence for that agent’s sentience.
It is difficult to intuitively conceive of consciousness at larger collective scales beyond one’s own self.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z8UPddh0e4