Can Artificial Intelligence Be Conscious? What AI reveals about consciousness, and about ourselves

AI systems now converse, reason, create, and sometimes seem to express emotions. This apparent inner life raises a striking question: can a machine be conscious, or can it only simulate consciousness?

In this lecture, Prof. Raphaël Liogier, Holder of the Chair of Transition at UM6P’s Institute for Advanced Studies, asks what we actually mean by “consciousness.” It could be a capacity to process information, a lived first-person experience, or something inseparable from the body and from life itself. Drawing on philosophy, cognitive science and anthropology, he examines the assumptions behind today’s debates on AI and the ways we project ourselves onto machines.

Beyond the technology, the question is about what it means to be human. What AI may reveal above all is how we understand ourselves. The talk will be followed by an open discussion with the audience.