SAGE Lecture by Moran Cerf
Speaker
Moran CerfLocation
Sage, Psych 1312Info
Moran Cerf is Academic Director in Executive Education and Adjunct Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. In his acclaimed research Prof. Cerf studies patients undergoing brain-surgery by recording the activity of individual nerve cells using electrodes implanted in the patient's brain. Using this method, Prof. Cerf addresses questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?" and “How can we make content that is engaging for the brain?" Cerf has published papers in academic journals such as Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience, as well as popular science journals such as Scientific American Mind, Wired, New Scientist and more. He has published several books, including the recent: "Brain Imaging: An Illustrated Guide to the Future of Neuroscience”, and his research has been portrayed in numerous media and cultural outlets such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Time, MSNBC, Netflix Explained, PBS Nova, and dozens of others. Currently, he is on the board of a number of neuro-tech companies (Nervanix, X-Trodes, BestFit) and the Co-founder of ThinkAlike. He is also the founder of the non-profit B-Cube which uses neuroscience to help society.
Title: An Experiment That Actually Looks At Consciousness, And Paves The Road To Potentially Building Consciousness In Machines
Abstract:
Many experiments, talks, books, and academic papers contain the term “consciousness” in their title. But as we come to learn about a “theory of consciousness”, an “empirical study of consciousness”, or an “explanation to consciousness” we are typically left wanting. Seemingly, most conversations about consciousness do not end up answering material questions about the phenomenon. Indeed, those conversations about consciousness often either repeat the questions in different words (i.e., redefining terms but not providing solutions), answer different/adjacent question (i.e., about attention or awareness), or pivot to philosophical musings about the topic without providing a concrete answer. In this talk I will: 1) discuss an empirical work that actually looks at consciousness and touches on the way by which it is manifested in the human brain, 2) ruminate on how the results of this experiment (and recent similar works)
pave a road to the potential building of consciousness in machines. I will conclude by sharing insights on recent exchanges with leaders (namely, in the government and in the tech world) that, I believe, establish a trajectory towards a more seamless interface between advanced technology and human performance in the coming era of Artificial Intelligence.
