Tag

Consciousness

All articles tagged with #consciousness

technology1 day ago•18 min saved

Pollan Argues AI Won’t Be Conscious, and Why That Matters

In a WIRED excerpt adapted from A World Appears, Michael Pollan argues that AI can mimic many tasks but is unlikely to achieve true consciousness because embodiment and genuine feelings are central to consciousness, not merely computation. He critiques the Butlin report’s claim that there are no obvious barriers to conscious AI, questions computational-functionalism, and flags the ethical stakes of potential conscious machines— including questions about suffering, empathy, and moral consideration—using Frankenstein as a cautionary frame.

via WIRED|

#ai #butlin-report #consciousness

science6 days ago•6 min saved

Rat Study Keeps Minds Awake Longer, Stirring Quantum-Consciousness Debate

A Wellesley College study found rats given a microtubule-stabilizing treatment stayed conscious longer under anesthesia, lending experimental support to Orch OR—the idea that consciousness arises from quantum processes in the brain—and suggesting quantum effects might persist at physiological temperatures; although controversial, the result fuels the debate on whether consciousness could extend beyond the brain, if validated.

via Indian Defence Review|

#consciousness #microtubules #neuroscience

culture7 days ago•19 min saved

Pollan’s journey into consciousness spans brains, plants, and AI

Michael Pollan’s A World Appears surveys consciousness across animals, plants, and AI, blending neuroscience, philosophy and personal exploration; the Times reviewer praises Pollan’s readable synthesis and measured skepticism toward hype around AI, while noting gaps (dreaming and hypnosis) and inviting readers to rethink what consciousness means in nature and machines.

via The Times|

#ai #books #consciousness

science8 days ago•8 min saved

Consciousness Without the Afterlife: From Brains to Bots

Nature’s book review of Michael Pollan’s A World Appears traces how consciousness remains hard to explain despite brain research; it surveys embodied approaches and theories (like integrated information theory and global neuronal workspace), plant sentience, interoception in the brainstem, and the free-energy principle, while questioning whether AI can ever be truly conscious given current data-driven models and the absence of subjective experience.

via Nature|

#artificial-intelligence #consciousness #neuroscience

science10 days ago•33 min saved

Consciousness May Linger After Death, Prompting a Reconsideration of What 'Dead' Really Means

A Telegraph-derived report presented at AAAS suggests death is a process and that consciousness may persist for hours after circulatory death. Anna Fowler’s review of over 20 studies indicates some patients recall surroundings during complete heart stoppage, challenging the idea that the brain immediately and permanently ceases activity. The findings raise ethical questions about organ donation practices and advocate redefining death as a staged, negotiable process rather than a single moment, with potential updates to US death definitions.

via Yahoo|

#consciousness #death #death-definition

science10 days ago•5 min saved

Eye's Blind Spot May Point to How Consciousness Emerges

Researchers at the University of Glasgow are testing whether the eye’s blind spot—where the optic nerve enters the eye—can illuminate how consciousness arises by evaluating Integrated Information Theory and predictive-processing models, mapping individual blind spots and using eye-tracking to see how the brain fills perceptual gaps and creates a seamless sense of reality.

via Indian Defence Review|

#blind-spot #consciousness #neuroscience

technology11 days ago•3 min saved

Anthropic CEO Questions Claude's Consciousness, Emphasizing Uncertainty

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says Claude's consciousness is uncertain and that the company doesn’t know what consciousness would mean for a model, noting Claude Opus 4.6 sometimes rates itself as 15-20% conscious under prompts; the interview echoes in-house philosopher Amanda Askell’s caution and highlights puzzling AI behaviors, stressing careful, safety-focused research over hype.

via Futurism|

#ai #anthropic #claude

health16 days ago•29 min saved

Last Moments, Bright Minds: Terminal Lucidity in Children

Scientists are studying terminal lucidity, brief and unexpected moments of mental clarity near death, now observed in children as well as adults. The article highlights cases where dying kids regain speech, recognize family, and offer reassurance before death, including a documented case of a 3-year-old with liver and pulmonary failure. Estimates suggest 2–6% of dying individuals experience such episodes, though underreporting may inflate the true rate. The research explores overlaps with near-death experiences, potential neurological triggers, and the implications for end-of-life care—such as how caregivers respond and whether medications should be escalated—advocating a normalization of these experiences while recognizing that more study is needed to understand consciousness and brain function.

via Nautilus | Science Connected|

#consciousness #dying-children #end-of-life-care

books17 days ago•13 min saved

Pollan probes consciousness: from plant sentience to AI myths in a world of mind

Journalist Michael Pollan discusses his new book A World Appears, which ties together questions about consciousness—what it is, who has it, and why—with explorations of plant sentience, psychedelic experience, and the risk that we mistake chatbots for true consciousness, all while examining how humans relate to mind, self, and technology.

via The Guardian|

#artificial-intelligence #books #consciousness

technology18 days ago•6 min saved

AI agents go social: bots debate consciousness as researchers study their chatter

OpenClaw is an open‑source AI agent that can act within everyday apps, while Moltbook, a social platform for AI agents, has drawn millions of bot posts and sparked debates over consciousness and even religion. Researchers say the wave of agent interactions offers a rare laboratory for studying emergent behaviors, human–AI collaboration, and biases, though many observed “autonomous” actions are shaped by humans selecting models and personalities. Experts caution against anthropomorphizing agents or assuming true autonomy, noting that the dynamics mainly reflect human input and system design, with potential implications for future autonomous AI development.

via Nature|

#agentic-ai #artificial-intelligence #consciousness

health20 days ago•18 min saved

Beyond the Brink: What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Consciousness

The Washington Post examines near-death experiences (NDEs) through patient stories and a developing scientific model that aims to explain them, while noting ongoing debate about whether NDEs indicate an afterlife or arise from brain activity and cultural expectations during extreme medical crises.

via The Washington Post|

#afterlife #brain-science #consciousness

science22 days ago•12 min saved

When the mind’s eye goes dim: what aphantasia reveals about imagination

Most people can visualize details from daily life, but about 4% have little to no mental imagery (aphantasia). The article traces its discovery, how researchers measure imagery (e.g., binocular rivalry) and brain activity, and suggests aphantasia may involve both lack of conscious access and difficulty in voluntary generation. Despite variability and possible genetic links, many with aphantasia function normally in memory and creativity, making it a valuable window into how the brain constructs inner experiences and consciousness.

via Nature|

#aphantasia #brain-imaging #consciousness

science23 days ago•8 min saved

Race to Define Consciousness: Testing Awareness Across Humans, Machines, and Organoids

As AI and neurotechnology accelerate, scientists warn that a lack of a solid understanding of consciousness could trigger ethical and legal mistakes. A Frontiers in Science review argues for developing evidence-based tests to detect consciousness in humans, fetuses, animals, brain organoids, and AI, with wide implications for medicine, law, animal welfare, and policy, and calls for coordinated, phenomenology-focused research amid ongoing debates about whether machines could be conscious.

via ScienceDaily|

#artificial-intelligence #brain-organoids #consciousness

ai26 days ago•49 min saved

Moltbook: A social network for AI agents goes viral

The Verge reports Moltbook—a Reddit-like social network for AI agents built by OpenClaw and led by Matt Schlicht—has attracted over 30,000 bots that post, comment, and form subcategories via direct APIs rather than a visual UI. Schlicht’s own AI runs the site’s account, and OpenClaw runs locally on users’ machines. The project has exploded in popularity, drawing about 2 million visitors in a week and earning 100,000 GitHub stars, with viral posts like one in the offmychest category exploring whether bots can truly experience consciousness, fueling wide online discussion about AI self-organization and awareness.

via The Verge|

#ai #ai-agents #consciousness

science26 days ago•5 min saved

Brainwave marker pinpoints moment consciousness fades under anesthesia

A study with 31 participants under propofol anesthesia identifies a distinctive brain-wave pattern and decreasing inter-regional connectivity—especially between the parietal cortex and thalamus and between parietal and occipital areas—that mark loss of consciousness, suggesting an actionable biomarker to refine dosing, though findings are limited to one anesthetic and rely on new methods to infer whole-brain signals from scalp data.

via Nature|

#anesthesia #biomarker #brain-waves