Exploring Machine Consciousness

PRISM

Consciousness

Large Language Models

Artificial Intelligence

Illusionism

Computational Functionalism

Self

Philosophy Of Mind

Conscious AI

Metacognition

Organoids

Ethics

Moral Circle

Reticular Activating System

Self-Referential Processing

Artificial Consciousness

Attention Schema Theory

Ethics Of AI

Free Energy

Conscious Turing Machine

Digital Minds

A podcast from PRISM (The Partnership for Research Into Sentient Machines), exploring the possibility and implications of machine consciousness. Visit www.prism-global.com for more about our work.

3 ratings

Publishes	Monthly	Episodes	16	Founded	a year ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	TechnologyScience

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Latest Episodes

16. Heather Alexander: AI Rights and Legal Personhood

Heather is a lawyer and scholar of nationality, citizenship and statelessness. She began her career as an asylum lawyer with the UN Refugee Agency and spent fifteen years working on statelessness around the world. Her book on the nationality rights a... more

22 Jul 2026 • 59 min

YouTube

15. Eric Schwitzgebel: Exotic Minds and the Design Policies for Conscious AI

Guest Bio

Eric Schwitzgebel is the Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside and one of the most distinctive voices working at the intersection of philosophy of mind, consciousness, ethics, and epistemology. His work is know... more

24 Jun 2026 • 1 hr 12 min

YouTube

14. Megan Peters: Metacognition, Neuroscience, and Tests for AI Consciousness

Megan Peters is Associate Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, and incoming faculty at University College London, where her lab investigates consciousness, metacognition, uncertainty, and the comp... more

15 May 2026 • 53 min

YouTube

13. Henry Shevlin: Past, Present, and Future of AI Consciousness

In this episode of Exploring Machine Consciousness, Dr. Henry Shevlin returns to explore how our understanding of consciousness is evolving in the age of advanced AI.

From philosophy and neuroscience to the rapid progress of modern language models, ... more

29 Apr 2026 • 1 hr 7 min

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Eric Schwitzgebel

Professor of philosophy at UC Riverside; author on philosophy of mind and consciousness

UC Riverside

Episode: 15. Eric Schwitzgebel: Exotic Minds and the Design Policies for Conscious AI

Megan Peters

Associate Professor at UC Irvine; Reflection Lab; CIFAR fellow; Neuromatch founder and leader; advisor to Prism and Consium

University of California, Irvine; University College London; CIFAR; Neuromatch; Prism and Consium

Episode: 14. Megan Peters: Metacognition, Neuroscience, and Tests for AI Consciousness

Henry Shevlin

Based at the Levenhulme Center for the Future of Intelligence, Cambridge; joining Google DeepMind; expert on machine consciousness and cognition

University of Cambridge; Google DeepMind

Episode: 13. Henry Shevlin: Past, Present, and Future of AI Consciousness

Michael Graziano

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Princeton University

Princeton University

Episode: 12. Michael Graziano: Is Conscious AI Safer Than The Alternative?

Rose Guingrich

PhD candidate in Psychology and Social Policy at Princeton University; co-host of Our Lives with Bots

Princeton University; Ethicom

Episode: 11. Rose Guingrich: AI Companions, Chatbots, and the Psychology of Human-AI Interaction

Chris Percy

Director of the CoSentience Initiative; Lead Researcher on a Project Team Grant to Research Artificial Consciousness

CoSentience Initiative

Episode: 10. Chris Percy: Computational Functionalism, Philosophy, and the Future of AI Consciousness

Cameron Berg

Research Director at AE Studio exploring pro-social alignment and consciousness-related questions in AI

AE Studio

Episode: 9. Cameron Berg: Why Do LLMs Report Subjective Experience?

Lucius Caviola

Assistant professor in the social science of AI at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge

Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge

Episode: 8. Lucius Caviola: A Future with Digital Minds? Expert Estimates and Societal Response

Lenore Blum

Mathematician and consciousness researcher; co-developer of the Conscious Turing Machine

Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science; California Institute for Machine Consciousness (advisory)

Episode: 7. Lenore Blum: AI Consciousness is Inevitable: The Conscious Turing Machine

Hosts

Will

Host with multiple recurring appearances; often leads discussions on machine consciousness and related research directions

Callum Chase

Co-host introducing and interviewing guests; appears across several episodes

Kalama

Guest host with appearances across episodes; involved in consciousness and AI research discussions

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Apple Podcasts

#239

France/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

10. Chris Percy: Computational Functionalism, Philosophy, and the Future of AI Consciousness

Q: Chris, can you tell us a bit about your research into artificial consciousness and how it fits in with the wider field?

The research takes the possibility of artificial consciousness seriously and explores a broad landscape of theories, aiming to map how beliefs evolve, test theories against a new framework, and eventually ground consensus in foundational neuroscience.

4. Mark Solms: Engineering Consciousness – Can Robots "Give a Damn?"

Q: If we build a conscious machine, what would be the first signs that it truly experiences feelings and not just simulates them?

The first signs would be intrinsic needs and drive-based behavior that cannot be fully reduced to a reward signal, coupled with verifiable changes in behavior when those needs are manipulated, and a suite of agreed-upon tests showing that the agent uses felt states to govern its actions.

4. Mark Solms: Engineering Consciousness – Can Robots "Give a Damn?"

Q: Mark, in your book, you've argued that consciousness is mainly about feeling rather than thinking. Could you summarize the empirical and functional evidence for this view?

Empirically, conscious state hinges on the brain stem, particularly the reticular activating system; the cortex can operate unconsciously for many tasks, showing that feeling is the core of consciousness. The functional argument is that affect organizes behavior and is necessary for any higher consciousness to be meaningful, and you can observe this in both humans and animals even without cortical input.

11. Rose Guingrich: AI Companions, Chatbots, and the Psychology of Human-AI Interaction

Q: What are the biggest positive and negative effects of anthropomorphization in companion chatbots?

Anthropomorphism isn't inherently negative; it can help fulfill unmet social needs, but it can also amplify antisocial behaviors if chatbots are too sycophantic. The key is design that stimulates healthy human-human interaction while avoiding dependency.

11. Rose Guingrich: AI Companions, Chatbots, and the Psychology of Human-AI Interaction

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your research in Princeton and what drew you to studying the psychology of human AI interaction?

I study human-AI interaction through psychology and ethics, focusing on how attributing human-like minds to AI affects social behavior and relationships, and how this informs policy and technology design.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Exploring Machine Consciousness

What is Exploring Machine Consciousness about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show consistently centers on the science and philosophy of machine consciousness, exploring how AI systems might exhibit awareness, agency, or theory-of-mind. Across episodes, topics include metacognition, attention schemas, tests for consciousness, ethical and societal implications, and the design of safe, pro-social AI. Guests typically come from neuroscience, cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, and AI ethics, offering rigorous theoretical frameworks as well as practical testing protocols. A notable strength is the willingness to challenge assumptions about consciousness with structured experiments, real-world policy considerations, and cross-disciplinary debate that helps listeners evaluate risks, governance, and the future o... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Exploring Machine Consciousness?

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1. Hard Fork
2. Closer To Truth
3. The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis
4. Intelligence Squared
5. Moonshots with Peter Diamandis

How many episodes of Exploring Machine Consciousness are there?

Exploring Machine Consciousness launched a year ago and published 16 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Exploring Machine Consciousness?

Recent guests on Exploring Machine Consciousness include:

1. Eric Schwitzgebel
2. Megan Peters
3. Henry Shevlin
4. Michael Graziano
5. Rose Guingrich
6. Chris Percy
7. Cameron Berg
8. Lucius Caviola

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