Philosophy Colloquium: Matt McCormick

Department of Philosophy Colloquium

Matt McCormick (CSU Sacramento) ‘From machine consciousness to the singularity‘ • Friday December 1st 2017, 12:00pm–1:00pm in AS–122.

Abstract: The Singularity, we’re told, is coming; the point at which artificial intelligence skyrockets past human levels. That could be the most important event in human history, bringing either utopian solutions to the worst human problems, or existential risk for all of humanity. The crucial step toward building machines with consciousness, we’re learning from AI researchers, neuroscience, cognitive scientists, and philosophers, is to build them with Theory of Mind. To successfully interact with us, artificial intelligence must be able represent minds (their own and others) that possess beliefs, desires, goals, and plans. Artificial intelligence, like us, must be able to make a reality/appearance distinction. Turning that Theory of Mind on itself will make it possible for artificial intelligences to become self-aware, modeling themselves as thinking, planning agents. And this epistemic self-awareness enables self-improving bootstrapping to a superintelligence takeoff that ushers in the Singularity.