Science Talk - Your Brain on AI: From Organoids to Consciousness

"The development of artificial intelligence may well imply that man will relinquish his intellectual supremacy in favour of thinking machines."  ~~ Paul Davies

Join us this National Science Week for a journey into a future that is coming sooner than you think. A future where artificial intelligence intersects with human cognition, consciousness, and even life itself. Imagine a world where our brains are enhanced through cognitive advancements, merging organic and digital networks to unlock unprecedented potential. What does this mean for intelligence, human agency and consciousness?

What makes a mass of cells come together to think, do and become self-aware?

As AI capabilities surge forward, we stand on the brink of understanding how intelligence and consciousness arise, how emotions and feelings are generated and how our brains adapt to technological evolution.

Imagine a future where our brains are augmented through cognitive advancements, seamlessly integrating organic and digital networks with cutting-edge technologies. This fusion holds the key to unprecedented enhancements in human capabilities: faster information processing, enhanced memory and novel modes of cognition.

Beyond these advancements lie fundamental questions that continue to captivate scientists and philosophers alike: 

• What is consciousness and how does it originate?

• Can machines or robots be conscious?

• How does agency manifest in physical systems? 

• How do atoms organise into structures capable of thought and emotion? The intersection of these inquiries with technologies like DishBrain and brain organoids could revolutionise fields from neuroscience and psychology to artificial intelligence and philosophy.

• Has the time come to fundamentally re-think the relationship between mind and matter?
  
  

Esteemed experts including renowned quantum physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies AM, cognitive scientist Inês Hipólito and neuroscientist Brett Kagan, will talk to the University of Sydney's AI expert Sandra Peter and unveil life-altering developments that will reshape our future sooner than you think.

Presented by Sydney Opera House, Big Questions Institute and the University of Sydney.

Meet the Speakers:

Paul Davies is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, astrobiologist and best-selling author. His research has been mostly in quantum gravity, with application to the early universe and black holes and on the nature of time. More recently he has worked on the origin of life, the search for life beyond Earth and the deep evolutionary roots of cancer. He held academic appointments in the UK and Australia before moving to Arizona in 2006. He has written over 30 books, including The Demon in the Machine, The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the universe just right for life? and How to Build A Time Machine. The most recent book is What’s Eating the Universe? And Other Cosmic Questions. Among his many awards, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2011 and he has an asteroid named after him in recognition of his work on cosmic impacts.

Dr Inês Hipólito stands at the forefront of the philosophy of mind and cognitive science of AI. Renowned for her insights into fundamental questions surrounding agency and intelligence, Dr. Hipolito is sought after as a speaker at academic conferences, public lectures and podcasts alike. Currently holding the esteemed position of Assistant Professor at Macquarie University and serving as a researcher at the Macquarie Ethics and Agency Research Centre, Dr. Hipolito's academic journey is fortified by her previous role as a lecturer at the prestigious Berlin School of Mind and Brain (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany) and as a recipient of the prestigious Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Talent Grant (2021) by the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands). She also serves as the Ethicist of AI at VERSES – a computing company based in Los Angeles.

Dr Brett J. Kagan is the Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs. Cortical Labs is a multidisciplinary deep-tech startup looking at integrating hardware, software, and synthetic biology approaches to explore how to harness intelligence from neurons on a chip. Dr Kagan has a PhD in neuroscience focusing on stem cell therapy and completed post-doctoral work in bioinformatics and regenerative medicine. Recent work includes developing the first real-time closed-loop demonstration of in-vitro intelligence in a simplified pong-game environment, along with working to better test and understand these systems. Dr Kagan also explores the philosophical and ethical approaches to the development and use of this new technology.

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Pre-Show Meet & Greet

6:00PM - 6:45PM : Meet in the Opera House Concert Hall foyer for drinks and refreshments, available for purchase from the theatre bars.

Please arrive no later than 6:45PM to join the group and queue.


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Post Show - Drinks, Dinner, Discussion (Optional)

For those who want to mix and mingle, we will decide where to go after the show, as it will depend on how many people want to join us.