Description
Joscha Bach is a cognitive scientist, AI researcher, and philosopher of mind whose work has shaped how we think about synthetic consciousness and the architecture of thought itself. He developed the MicroPsi cognitive architecture, has held research roles at MIT and Harvard, and just co-founded the California Institute of Machine Consciousness with Karl Friston — a lab dedicated to building minds that know they exist. Expect to learn how emotions are compressed value functions for simulated agents, how brains create recursive world models to predict and control experience, why the self might just be a stabilizing hallucination, how synthetic minds could surpass biological ones, why Joscha sees spirits as information processes, and how consciousness might emerge anywhere complex systems learn to model themselves. We also explore the implications of Michael Levin’s work, the ethics of synthetic selves, why nature is already computational, and what’s truly at the bedrock of reality. This conversation is strange, deep, and unforgettable. Timestamps:00:00 Journey into Consciousness and AI 02:59 The Intersection of Neuroscience and AI 05:52 Understanding Consciousness: A Second Order Perception 08:53 Consciousness: An Evolved Property or Fundamental Reality? 12:03 The Concept of Spirit in Consciousness 14:56 Exploring Consciousness in Non-Brain Systems 18:00 The Nature of Consciousness in Organisms 21:12 The Role of Software in Consciousness 23:52 The Potential of Xenobots and Consciousness 37:06 Emergence of Artificial Life 40:12 The Nature of Consciousness 43:56 Comparing Consciousness Across Species 46:58 The Role of Social Structures in Consciousness 54:39 Biological Ingredients for Consciousness 01:10:55 Building Conscious AI 01:16:38 Exploring Ethical Constraints in AI Experiments 01:18:11 The Nature of Consciousness in AI 01:22:18 Comparing Consciousness: LLMs vs. Xenobots 01:24:19 The Binary Nature of Consciousness 01:27:01 Agency vs. Consciousness: A Complex Relationship 01:32:34 The Horrors of Conscious Existence 01:37:41 Concerns About AI and Society 01:40:14 The Role of AI in Society's Future 01:46:57 The Urgency of AI Development 01:51:03 The Future of AI and Society... ... ❤️ Subscribe to our main channel - https://www.youtube.com/@thegiantsshoulder?sub_confirmation=1💚 Follow on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5m3Gta5MtIYdk59pb2GJ7M?si=Ka2rAQv7TyqiC9wvGwERpA💜 Follow on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-giants-shoulder/id1752486249Download my FREE EBook 26 Neuroscience Books for 2026 HERE: https://thegiantsshoulder.com/