Outreach & Appearances
BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze
AI — The end of humanity or the next evolutionary step?
I comment on the creative intelligence of computational AI, especially generative models like Stable Diffusion, DALL E 2 and ChatGPT. I explain that the limitations of AI in expressive art stem from its lack of consciousness—the absence of subjective experience that underlies true creativity.
TEDx Talk
Ethical AI: Why it Matters & What’s at Stake
In this talk, I explore how AI systems learn from the world’s biases, the risks of opaque “black box” models, and the growing challenge of Social AI—machines designed to simulate empathy and consciousness.
The problem of anthropomorphising takes centre stage through vivid examples: from biased hiring algorithms to emotionally responsive chatbots. I invite audiences to reflect on fairness, transparency, and the moral boundaries between simulation and sentience.
Ultimately, the talk asks a profound question: If machines are learning from us, what kind of teachers are we, and what kind of future are we building?
CBC’s Understood: The Making of Musk
In episode 3 of this season, I discuss Neuralink’s N1 implant—how it works, what it means, and what we can learn from Noland Arbaugh’s experience. Drawing on my 2024 BBC article where I introduced the Contemplation Conundrum, I unpack the ethical questions surrounding the privacy of thought, the loss of executory control, and the cyberpunk vision of a future where mind and machine begin to intertwine.
Interviews
Will AI Make Art and Artists Obsolete? Rediscovering Truth and Beauty
In this conversation, Sean McFadden and I explore the discussion of the future of art & aesthetics with the rise of AI art. We start off by discussing the impact of Ai art on artists and spectators alike. Then we explore questions about aesthetic judgements and the future of art. I then go on to explain my “what it is like-ness argument” for the sort of creativity that is unique to humans which highlights the importance of phenomenology and subjective experiences when it comes to creating expressive art.
Can Machines be Conscious?
This conversation between Sean and I looks at the concept of access vs phenomenal consciousness and explores the question of whether consciousness could ever arise in artificial intelligence.