The terms “AI” and “Consciousness” are often conflated, which has created some confusion and fear regarding AI. Despite remarkable breakthroughs in AI technology, we are not necessarily closer to creating truly sentient machines. In fact, we currently have no means of testing the distinction between a sentient machine and a highly sophisticated AI software that mimics human behavior.

But what if we DID have a new kind of test to tell us if a machine was actually conscious? The world of parapsychology might hold some clues. Fifty years of experiments have demonstrated an unexplained influence of consciousness upon the physical world, yet these important discoveries are totally absent from the AI conversation.

Adam will discuss his recent adventures in bridging parapsychology with computers to build prototypes of truly sentient machines.