#72 Prof. Karl Friston - The Nature of Consciousness, Sentience & Artificial Intelligence - AWONDERJUNKIE

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#72 Prof. Karl Friston - The Nature of Consciousness, Sentience & Artificial Intelligence

June 5, 2025 • 92 mins

Prof. Karl Friston is one of the most highly cited living neuroscientists in history. Karl Friston is a theoretical neuroscientist and authority on brain imaging. He invented statistical parametric mapping (SPM), voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and dynamic causal modeling (DCM). These contributions were motivated by schizophrenia research and theoretical studies of value-learning – formulated as the disconnection hypothesis of schizophrenia. Mathematical contributions include variational Laplacian procedures and generalized filtering for hierarchical Bayesian model inversion. Friston currently works on models of functional integration in the human brain and the principles that underlie neuronal interactions. His main contribution to theoretical neurobiology is a free-energy principle for action and perception (active inference). Friston received the first Young Investigators Award in Human Brain Mapping (1996) and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1999). In 2000 he was President of the international Organization of Human Brain Mapping. In 2003 he was awarded the Minerva Golden Brain Award and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2006. In 2008 he received a Medal, College de France. He became of Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in 2012, received the Weldon Memorial prize and Medal in 2013 for contributions to mathematical biology and was elected as a member of EMBO (excellence in the life sciences) in 2014 and the Academia Europe in (2015). He was the 2016 recipient of the Charles Branch Award for unparalleled breakthroughs in Brain Research and the Glass Brain Award – a lifetime achievement award in the field of human brain mapping. He holds Honorary Doctorates from the universities of York, Zurich, Liège and Radboud University. He received the Donald O Hebb Award (International. Neural Network Society) in 2022.

Professor Karl Friston discusses his journey into neuroscience, the nature of consciousness, and the intersection of artificial intelligence and natural intelligence. He emphasizes the importance of uncertainty in curiosity, the impact of ideology on human progress, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration in scientific advancement. Friston also explores the significance of mitochondria in consciousness, the free energy principle, and the importance of novelty in human experience. He addresses the implications of technology on attention, the complexities of schizophrenia, and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. The conversation concludes with reflections on philosophy's role in understanding consciousness and the nature of suffering.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Consciousness and Neuroscience

03:28 AI and Natural Intelligence

06:30 Exploring Ideology and Belief Systems

09:23 Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Science

12:14 Mitochondria and Consciousness

16:27 The Free Energy Principle Explained

19:12 The Role of Novelty in Human Experience

22:08 Free Will and Human Agency

26:27 AI Development and Ethical Considerations

30:22 The Future of AI and Human Interaction

50:52 Navigating Information Overload