Latest news with #DavidChalmers
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Can AI Truly Become Sentient?
Our sensory organs have evolved to a level that transcends mere objective cognition . They have very subtle and complex networks and upgrades that transform cognition into an emergent phenomenon called qualia. Qualia are special attributes of the cognitive spectrum that account for a highly specific conscious aspect of experience. 'Quale' is the unique subjective experiential aspect of cognition. It is an esoteric blend of unique textures and flavours of emotions, memory, preferences, coupled with the incoming bytes of sensory data. These transform qualia into an emergent phenomenon, an experiential alchemy of sorts. Qualia largely constitute the enigma of the 'Hard Problem' of consciousness as termed by David Chalmers . There is an ongoing, endless debate about artificial intelligence and its ominous potential to become a humanoid. The answer lies in whether AI can upgrade the processing of objective sensory data from merely 'sensor-based' cognition to the sublime level of qualia/experience. Can the objective cognition of robotics ever be integrated with a qualitative, emotional coefficient to effect the experiential qualia? It's quite paradoxical that 'Bios', the original Greek term for 'life', is also the anagram that encapsulates the ethos of computing and AI in general - 'Basic Input Output System'. Successive generations of computers certainly enhanced the ability to process incoming data with high-end processors. However, experience involves much more than just processing data - bios, the ethos of life implying a vibrant, dynamic life force. The essence of all living organisms right from the cellular level. A touch of some intangible force that breathes vitality, a self-sustaining intelligence, into the matrix of the disparate organic and inorganic elements. An intangible essence, which is an amalgamation of vitality and innate intelligence empowering the organism with self-preservation and propagation, referred to as ' Satchitanand ' in Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). Satchitanand is a compound Sanskrit word consisting of 'sat', 'cit', and 'anand' - existence, consciousness, and bliss. 'Sat' refers to the truth of existence, or 'Being'. A sense of self-awareness. An awareness that precedes and encompasses cognition. A vitality that permeates every cell of living organisms. Chit is consciousness, the aspect of cognition that is secondary to 'Sat', pure sensory perception mediated by receptors and associated neural networks. 'Anand' signifies the emotional aspect of cognition, which transforms objective cognition into a subjective, experiential qualia. This experiential element brings along with it pleasure, pain, indulgence and avoidance. This pleasure-pain element is what triggers the 'vrittis' or disturbances in the 'chit' or pure consciousness. Yog, as defined by the great sage Patanjali, is the disconnect of the chit and vritti. Human perception is also equipped with an intelligence that can restrain the need to indulge. An intelligence of discrimination (vivek buddhi) that mediates moderation and temperance. AI can certainly evolve into an intelligence that can reach humanoid proportions. But it will be almost inconceivable for AI to develop the intelligence of discrimination, which determines the degree of indulgence and restraint, as well as the 'Anand' element of cognition. AI can perhaps never replicate human sentience that can conceive and experience the intangible, Beingness, a unique, self-cognising, life force, that can invert on itself to cognise the cognising entity, to 'experience' and merge the Sat and Chit with Anand, the eternal Bliss. Authored by: Deepak Ranade Why Arjun Was Chosen: The Untold Secret of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 3
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Out-of-Body Experiences Suggest Consciousness May Exist Outside the Brain, Some Scientists Say
Consciousness is primarily experienced internally, but the phenomenon of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) challenges this assumption. Although scientists have developed biological-based explanations for OBEs (a mismatch of sensory information or the disruptions of coordination across certain brain areas), other experts wonder if OBEs could be evidence of non-local consciousness—the extremely controversial idea that the brain isn't at the center of our awareness. A tiny new study argues that gathering qualitative data surrounding these experiences could help both explain OBEs and understand how they fit within the ever perplexing mystery of consciousness. For most scientists, consciousness and the brain are inextricably linked—and for good reason. The brain is the synaptic center where our biological selves make sense of the world around us. But this approach only explains certain aspects of consciousness, like information processing and memory storage. The 'hard problem,' as famously stated by the Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers, is explaining why these physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. And it is indeed a hard problem, one that philosophers, theologians, neuroscientists, and biologists have pondered for millennia. Because knowledge abhors a vacuum, many theories of consciousness have filled the void. Some have even explored the highly controversial idea of non-local consciousness—that is, a consciousness that exists beyond the confines of our physical skulls. This might seem counterintuitive to your lived experience, which feels very internal. But for years, some have analyzed the perplexing phenomenon of the out-of-body experience (OBE) as potential evidence for this controversial theory. Whether induced in a moment of immense calm or calamity, OBEs broadly describe the feeling of a person's consciousness temporarily being spatially removed from the body. A new study, published last month in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, argues that the subjective experience of those who've experienced OBEs should be considered when exploring ideas surrounding the hard problem of consciousness. 'We argue that these experiences should be described as they present themselves to consciousness, without resorting to theoretical presuppositions or external causal explanations,' the authors wrote. 'Addressing this gap is crucial to achieving a deeper understanding of the phenomenon. This is essential for two main reasons: first, to comprehend the nature of human consciousness, and second, to help normalize these experiences for individuals who undergo them.' In this very small study, the authors interviewed 10 participants who experienced OBEs in a variety of contexts. Most participants described the experience using terms like 'other plane of existence' or 'universal consciousness,' which the authors note aligns with theoretical descriptions of non-local consciousness. However, scientists also have other, less controversial explanations about what is going on in our mind when we experience OBEs. For example, a 2023 study from Stanford University analyzed nine epilepsy patients with cerebral electrodes (originally inserted for other purposes). With their permission, the scientists attempted to locate the area of the brain that appeared most affected by out-of-body experiences, pointing them to the anterior precuneus—an area of the brain associated with somatosensory (i.e. body-related) information. After receiving pulses of electricity, participants experienced distortions both to their sense of space and to their perceived location of consciousness. This work builds on previous research that also suggests that OBEs could be the misalignment of vestibular information with visual information. In other words, the experience of an OBE doesn't necessarily mean that consciousness exists outside our bodies. With such a small sample size, its difficult to draw an definitive conclusions about out-of-body experiences. But with more qualitative information about the experience, scientists could potentially begin to piece together the endlessly complex puzzle that is human consciousness. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
