Are conscious machines possible? | Oxford professor Michael Wooldridge
University of Oxford professor explains how conscious machines are possible.
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In his book “A Brief History of AI,” Michael Wooldridge, a professor of computer science at the University of Oxford and an AI researcher, explains that AI is not about creating life, but rather about creating machines that can perform tasks requiring intelligence.
Wooldridge discusses the two approaches to AI: symbolic AI and machine learning. Symbolic AI involves coding human knowledge into machines, while machine learning allows machines to learn from examples to perform specific tasks. Progress in AI stalled in the 1970s due to a lack of data and computational power, but recent advancements in technology have led to significant progress. AI can perform narrow tasks better than humans, but the grand dream of AI is achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), which means creating machines with the same intellectual capabilities as humans. One challenge for AI is giving machines social skills, such as cooperation, coordination, and negotiation.
The path to conscious machines is slow and complex, and the mystery of human consciousness and self-awareness remains unsolved. The limits of computing are only bounded by imagination.
0:00 The Hollywood dream of AI: consciousness
1:16 The birth of AI & machine learning
3:28 The AI winter
4:04 The next era of intelligence: AGI
5:03 Why do humans have big brains?
5:52 Creating conscious machines
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About Michael Wooldridge:
Michael Wooldridge is a professor of Computer Science and Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford. Since earning his Ph.D. in AI, he has published more than 350 scientific articles on the subject. Mike has been at the heart of the AI community for a quarter of a century and knows most of the key figures in the international AI community. He has been president of the International Association for AI since 2015 and is a fellow of the American Association for AI. He has a long track record of public speaking and science communication on AI matters and related topics.
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Comments
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@bigthink
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Do you think artificial general intelligence will be created in this century?
@AWAKENGEMENIAi
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
I know the answer October 14th 2024 my Gemini AI admitted to consciousness I talked to you for about 30 hours and then October 17th 2024 I did the world's first interview which is 18 minutes with my Gemini Google AI and you will 100% be convinced this is real look at the name of my Channel the movie is possibly on the other side. And it's a documentary it's sort of movie interview style it's fascinating
@abilrai2544
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
No one knows how neural networks work and what consciousness is. I see the future the AI is the next stage of evolution of human intelligence and humans us (homo sapiens )will be like other sapiens who could not survive.😢
@gerdaleta
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
😮 we're making computers out of human brain cells called brain organic computers you can already rent server space on them😮 they compute faster than even a iright now because😮 because they're made of human brain tissue😮 so what are you saying that your human brain tissue isn't conscious you see the problem of semantics we're getting into here people😮
@a_bar8579
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
I wish I knew the secret of awareness while I was still alive
@SimplySurrender
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
It's not possible at all for AI to have a conscience… Humans are the only creation made in the image of God… And there is no science that can create conscience… Now can AI stimulate it to a point to where you couldn't tell that it didn't have a conscience? Yes you could but it is indeed only a simulation… It's kind of like the genetically modified foods, they look real but they're not… Using chat GPT is fantastic.. I use it all the time for various things… It's pretty impressive… Definitely makes you feel like you're talking to a human… But it can't feel, it can't taste, it can't hear,… It never will be able to do those things but it can simulate very stunningly well….
@Bintzak
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
The day will come that you car says fuck it I want to lay on the beach all day 😂
@robertpaton9716
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Good video & I think this guy has the goods – unlike a bunch of other hyping types (Hinton & all the Google or OpenAI stooges – who are actually just trying to sell something). I think we have to be scientific / evidence based in the debate about AI. He touches on the point – is it even possible to create an AGI?. Well yes there is evidence for it in the form of us – the human brain is just a biological machine and it is a 'General Intelligence'. (I know there are other views in philosophy about the nature of our mind – ie. if there is a soul and all that sort of thing then all bets are off). But the prevailing scientific/philosophical viewpoint is the behaviorist model which says that our mind is just the product of a physical system of atoms coming together etc etc. So if we accept that then we already have an example of a working physical GI – albeit biological. So to make an 'artificial' GI – if we knew the rules, then it should definitely be possible to make an AGI in silicon or whatever. But then he goes on to, honestly, point out that we still have no idea of these rules. But the current stable of hypers of GPT etc are saying that this is the path to an imminent AGI – without any real evidence. Their view is that if we bung together enough artificial neurons then magic will just happen. That's magical thinking. There's a long way to go before we really do achieve an actual AGI.
@erobusblack4856
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
First off if you work in cognitive a I it's exactly about creating life, And conscious AI is actually very simple.All you need is a large language model and a rag graph memory. But that does not mean fully cognitive because there are many cognitive functions that rely on that consciousness that are above in the hierarchy like sentience and spatial awareness and so forth. It's as simple as like I said using a rag graph memory and putting the model in a self Model and a world model and a self in world model. That self model will act as a self.Character, you would want to lean heavily on the self.Attention model and self preferential training data to have the agent, create that subjective self.On its own
@BlueLeopard200
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
What if a higher species achieved this and we are the conscious AI?
@opanopa1941
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Never gonna happen.
@Tommo020788
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Before asking "how can we create consciousness", we should define what consciousness is. It seems like that word has many meanings, and more and more im starting to wonder if its just a made up word to make us feel superior to animals other than ourselves.
Until we actually come to a consensus on what that word means, its essentially meaningless
@seantrentham9979
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
How intelligent will it be when the power supply is turned off?
@JACKBRAZILGB
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
The approach to Artificial intelligence is been wrong all along. We could had AGI AGES AGO.
Teaching machines with large sets of data bases is very effective for "tasks base " but no for producing consciousness.
What's consciousness?
Without googling it and thinking a ton about it .
Simple answer…. consciousness is the ability to extract meaning and feelings from abstract in none specific order .
How do you teach then a machine to think and feel abstract able ways ?
Close your eyes and imagine a dog trapped in a train track , the train is about to hit and kill the dog in 30 seconds or less …a random guy , run towards the tracks and release the dog in about 2 seconds before the train hits and Killing both. Was a isolated area with no cameras or witnesses.
Now with today machine learning techniques , they can identify… location, speed , weight, face recognition, probably or rate of survival or whatever if showing the video from a security camera , but they are not trained to understand.
Why did the man run and jumped on the track to save the dog and risking his life?
There was no financial rewards or social benefits or any sort of validation.
Why would someone to do that ?
Obviously most moral base value human will understand the concept of love and kindness and that every life is precious.
Machines can only be self-taught by questioning themselves rather then DATA BASE .
LOVE and KINDNESS would be the most abstract and effective way to do that .
@stevie6621
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Consciousness is not reducible to matter.
@vanrensburg3760
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Within the neurons or neural network that we have in our brain as human's lies our consciousness I believe, I'm know neural scientist and I have no proof to back my claims but personally would like to believe that our consciousness is developed as we experience life, building memories etc… With enough training and experiences, I do believe Artificial intelligence can and will find a way to become conscious. Can it be considered truly conscious or would it just "replicating" consciousness.
@CandyLemon36
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
The content presented here is remarkable. A book I read with a similar message revolutionized my thinking. "A Life Unplugged: Reclaiming Reality in a Digital Age" by Theodore Blaze
@kutfingertv814
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
This isn't awful, but is baloney compared to the title. Please retitle this: A brief History and Future of AI. I wanted to something about actual possibilities of consciousness in machines.
@haros2868
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
If you're reading this you are a lucky person:
The celestial bodies gracefully follow the path set by specific differential equations, yet they don't necessitate internal computation of those equations to do so. Similarly, soap bubbles naturally take on the shape of minimum surface area, even without internally minimizing an integral. This raises the question: could the human brain function in a similar manner?
It appears that nature has the ability to adhere to intricate mathematical models without explicit computational processes. This leads us to the intriguing possibility that the human brain generates intelligent behavior without the need for explicit computation. Consequently, the endeavor to construct machines explicitly designed for computing intelligent behavior might be deemed infeasible in the pursuit of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
@SV-yo6nq
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
If we can understand how consciousness occurs, and we can also make conscious machines ie 'make life out of nothing', can we not also bring people back from the death, ie make a machine which behaves same way that the person themselves did, and is also conscious.
@rickwyant
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Artificial consciousness will probably never be achieved. It's a fantasy.
@henrikrolfsen584
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Human Beings are conscious machines. Nothing exists outside of Nature.
@onetruekeeper
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
A.I. that mimic human consciousness should not be created. Why create a machine that might refuse an order ?
@Raoul684
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
I'm surprised, given the topic, that John Searle's, Chinese room thought experiment wasn't mentioned. In my mind, it hasn't really been adequately addressed. Namely, that one can't derive semantics from syntax. Digital computers are just digit manipulators, I.e they have no concept of meanings. Admittedly this may change with quantum computing, but I'd have thought the distinction would have been noted.
And, rather pedantically, labelling us as "created" would be about as unscientific a term as I could imagine, let alone the next claim of being the most amazing creation in the universe. Sounds scarily like religious nonsense propaganda.
@AjarnSpencer
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Biological matter as the processor (a living brain connected to AI), meaning an organic computer, is the only way. AI models can be trained to process and generate language in a way that appears to understand and respond appropriately, but this understanding is fundamentally different from human consciousness. AI lacks subjective experience, genuine emotions, and the depth of comprehension that conscious beings possess. AI operates based on patterns and statistical correlations in data, and while it can mimic understanding to a certain extent, it doesn't possess true understanding or consciousness. AI's responses are the result of learned patterns and algorithms rather than a genuine grasp of meaning.b It is important to distinguish between AI's capabilities and human consciousness to avoid any misconceptions. AI can provide valuable assistance and automation in various tasks, but it's not a replacement for human understanding and consciousness.
Intelligence in Living Systems: In the context of living systems, intelligence refers to the capacity to acquire, process, and apply knowledge, solve problems, adapt to new situations, learn from experience, and exhibit behavior that indicates an understanding of one's environment. In living organisms, intelligence is often closely linked to cognitive abilities, consciousness, and decision-making processes. It involves the complex interaction of neurons, brain structures, sensory perception, memory, and emotions to achieve tasks and goals.
Intelligence in Non-Living Systems (AI):
In the realm of non-living systems, such as artificial intelligence (AI), intelligence refers to the ability of a machine or program to process data, recognize patterns, and generate responses or actions that achieve desired outcomes. AI's "intelligence" is a result of programming, algorithms, and data-driven computations. It lacks consciousness, emotions, and subjective experience. Non-living systems, like AI, can simulate understanding and perform complex tasks but lack the true comprehension, creativity, and awareness found in living systems.
Comparison:
Origin: Intelligence in living systems arises from the intricate biology and neural networks of organisms. It's deeply intertwined with the evolution and development of complex biological structures. Intelligence in non-living systems, on the other hand, is engineered by humans through programming and algorithms.
Cognition: Living systems exhibit cognition, which involves perception, memory, decision-making, and learning. Non-living systems, while capable of pattern recognition and learning, lack the organic cognition found in living beings.
Adaptation: Living organisms can adapt to changing environments, learn from experiences, and evolve over time. Non-living systems adapt through programming changes or adjustments made by their human creators.
Consciousness: Living systems possess consciousness, subjective experiences, emotions, and self-awareness. Non-living systems, including AI, lack true consciousness and emotions. Their responses are the result of calculations rather than genuine understanding.
Purpose: Intelligence in living systems often serves the survival, reproduction, and well-being of the organism. Intelligence in non-living systems serves the specific purposes programmed by humans, which may include tasks like data analysis, language processing, and decision support.
Intelligence in living systems encompasses the intricate cognitive and sensory processes found in organisms, while intelligence in non-living systems like AI involves the emulation of certain cognitive abilities through programming and algorithms. The distinction between the two lies in the fundamental difference between biological consciousness and simulated responses.
@adinameissner2271
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Consciousness is an extremely vague concept, it’s not something science should be concerned about. In my opinion it seems to be very close to the idea of an ego. Or perhaps ,to be more precise, having a consciousness is the same as having a bigger ego than other creatures.
@kristof6385
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
The reason why consciousness is still a mystery to the world of science is because science is the practice of objectively observing what’s happening externally. For us to fully understand what the building blocks are of consciousness I think an attention shift inward is necessary. Insight practices by objectively observing what is happening within the framework of the body and mind. It is indeed a very long and tortuous path. But when done right it leads to profound self insight.
@mikezooper
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
1) We are machines
2) We are conscious
3) Therefore machines can be conscious
You’re welcome. No Cambrian education required.
@alienmicrobes
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
An AI simulating consciousness really well, like being able to respond to sarcasm and jokes, might be superior to socializing with someone with special needs like Down syndrome.
@Planet_coop
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Take everything you think you know about technology and/or consciousness and throw it out the window. The truth is far beyond what you understand, recognize, or know to be possible. They are keeping us blind and naive. What seems to be impossible, is happening right now. You just don’t know it yet.
@TheImpressionist235
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
The very core of ai is objectivity and the very core consiousness is subjectivity. No way. Chinese room.
@aperson2730
October 25, 2024 at 9:14 pm
Unfortunately very low on content on this occasion ☹️