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More knowledge about the benefits and functions of human consciousness, will lead to building better machines and systems, which in turn will serve humanity for our and future generations. What do you think?
A psychologist’s reflections on consciousness and artificial intelligence
by Marisa Tschopp, researcher and ambassador for Women in AI Switzerland
Marisa Tschopp is a researcher at scipag and ambassador for Women in AI
Switzerland. Her focus is on conducting research about AI-based systems from a humanities perspective, with a wide range of questions related to psychological phenomena, governance and ethical implications. As an organizational psychologist she has experience in social and educational institutions with specific passion for digital teaching-learning trends, and has been teaching in several higher education institutions in Germany and Switzerland. She published various media articles, books, and papers and is a frequent speaker on conferences and events worldwide. Marisa holds a Master’s degree in Psychology of Excellence in Business and Education from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany as well as a BA business degree, focusing on market and consumer psychology.
What is human consciousness? Can machines be conscious?
The new research area of machine consciousness wants to shed light on this enduring myth, integrating a myriad of ethical and social implications that come along. Various scientific disciplines join the debate, from philosophy to physics, contributing valuable insights to the puzzling and fuzzy question, if machine can become or in fact already are, conscious.
When it comes to brain and cognition, research and development have made great progress reconstructing human neuronal structures. Yet in the end one question remains: what brings life to this physiology?
How does the nervous system manage to create consciousness through its functionalities?
A very old, traditional myth of humanity, the classic mind-body problem,
which keeps fascinating humanity for decades.The fire about the mind-body debate is rekindled, when it comes to the question, if consciousness can be attributed to machines, the more they resemble human
architectures.
On Consciousness: Human and machines
When it comes to consciousness, mystery is still the name of the game. Clearly, no acceptable framework exists by now, only many ideas, for example the materialistically coined idea, that the brain creates
consciousness as a form of illusion. Zimbardo and Gerrig define human consciousness as a state of recognizing inner states and the external environment (2008).Fundamental areas of research in psychology are: Content of consciousness, functions of consciousness, sleep and dream, as well as, altered states of consciousness (hypnosis, hallucinations, drugs, and so on). The role of consciousness can be explained through the lens of the evolutionary perspective as the “survival of the fittest”. Creating consciousness featured new skills such as restrictive reception of information, selective memory and planning function, with the objective to interrupt actions and consider alternatives and consequences (Zimbardo and Gerrig, 2008).
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Dr Marina Nani
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief of Rich Woman Magazine, founder of Sovereign Magazine, author of many books, Dr Marina Nani is a social edification scientist coining a new industry, Social Edification. Passionately advocating to celebrate your human potential, she is well known for her trademark "Be Seen- Be Heard- Be You" running red carpet events and advanced courses like Blog Genius®, Book Genius®, Podcast Genius®, the cornerstones of her teaching. The constant practitioner of good news, she founded MAKE THE NEWS ( MTN) with the aim to diagnose and close the achievement gap globally. Founder of many publications, British Brands with global reach Marina believes that there is a genius ( Stardust) in each individual, regardless of past and present circumstances. "Not recognising your talent leaves society at loss. Sharing the good news makes a significant difference in your perception about yourself, your industry and your community."
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