Gelernter, Kurzweil debate machine consciousness

very cool debate on the (im)possibility of machine consciousness…

Gelernter, Kurzweil debate machine consciousness

KurzweilAI.net, Nov. 30, 2006

The debate between Yale professor of computer science David Gelernter and Ray Kurzweil, sponsored by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, is now available for viewing (RealPlayer 8 or later required–help here).




The debate focused on the feasibility of building a conscious computer on a digital substrate. Gelernter argued that the chemical makeup of the brain and the body itself are essential in creating consciousness and that “there is no a priori reason for accepting that we can achieve consciousness in anything but a living organism.”



Kurzweil countered that we are in fact making exponential progress in modeling the human brain and that some of its functions have been modeled with remarkable precision. “Within a quarter century, we will have detailed models and simulations of the brain and we won't be able to tell them apart,” he said.

They agreed that ultimately, the issue involves philosophical assumptions about the meaning of ”consciousness.”

A talk by B. Jack Copeland on ”Alan Turing, Codebreaker and Artificial Intelligence Pioneer” follows the debate on the webcast.

Also see: MIT press release