Mazviita Chirimuuta (University of Edinburgh)

Much of the current speculation over the future of AI concerns the possibility of AGI – artificial general intelligence. This is the kind of technology that aspires to replicate the all-round intelligence of a human being. The common view is that AGI is a possibility, but there are a wide range of opinions as to how far in the future this advance will occur.

In this talk I investigate why it is that most engineers and scientists agree that AGI is possible. The assumption that it is rests on a philosophy of mind which sees no inherent connection between life and intelligence, leaving it open for non-living computers to have the same mental capabilities as living humans and animals. I examine the historical trajectory of this view and its association with mechanistic science since the 17th century. I also discuss reasons why we might question it.

This event is co-hosted by the Centre for Transdisciplinary AI (TAIGA) and Humlab.