Episode 3: Artificial Consciousness and Sci-Fi Futures

Max Peacock

Nov 25, 2021

Our Connected Future is the first season of the BMPD Storytellers podcast, hosted by Max Peacock. it is a series of conversational podcast episodes featuring experts on various aspects of technology. With guests, Max discusses digital storytelling, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, and much more. The podcast aspires to incite critical reflection on the role of technology in today’s societies.

Science fiction often depicts the emergence of artificial intelligence as a catastrophic event for humanity. But how is it that consciousness and intelligence rise out of neural circuitry? Is it possible for machines to ‘feel’ things? In episode 3 of Our Connected Future, Max is joined by Amedeo D’Angiulli, Director of Carleton University’s Neuroscience of Cognition Imagination and Emotion Research (NICER) Lab, to discuss these questions

The NICER Lab’s research investigates the “neural correlates of mental imagery, cue-induced craving, and emotion” using cutting edge neuroimaging techniques like brain-machine interfaces. In their conversation, Max and Amedeo explore the ethics of these technologies and their implications for our digital future. To learn more about the NICER Lab and their research, please visit: https://carleton.ca/nicerlab/

Max Peacock is a third-year student in the Bachelor of Media Production and Design program minoring in Entrepreneurship. He is a digital architect, aspiring philosopher, and optimistic futurist. Max uses digital storytelling to express his entrepreneurial worldview and incite critical reflection about the role of technology in society. He dreams of a future where technology augments the pursuit of a meaningful human life. In his podcast, Our Connected Future, Max explores tech innovation’s ethical implications and role in human progress.