Nanobots aren’t just microscopic machines—they could come in countless shapes and sizes, each designed for a unique purpose. From medical nanobots that repair cells to swarming micro-robots that build structures at the atomic level, the future of nanotechnology is limitless. Could these tiny machines revolutionize medicine, industry, and even space exploration? #Nanotech #Nanobots #FutureTech #Science #Innovation …
Recent rapid progress in artificial intelligence has prompted renewed interest in the possibility of consciousness in artificial systems. This talk argues that this question forces us to confront troubling methodological challenges for consciousness science. The surprising capabilities of large language models provide reason to think that many, if not all, cognitive capabilities will soon be within reach of artificial systems. However, these advancements do not help us resolve strictly metaphysical questions concerning substrate-independence, multiple realizability, or the connection between consciousness and life. Ultimately, I suggest that these questions are likely to be settled not by philosophical argument or scientific experimentation, but by patterns of interactions between humans and machines. As we form valuable and affectively-laden relationships with ever more intelligent machines, it will become progressively harder to treat them as non-conscious entities. Whether this shift will amount to a vindication of AI consciousness or a form of mass delusion remains far from obvious.
“Metaphysical Experiments: Physics and the Invention of the Universe” by Bjørn Ekeberg Book Link: https://amzn.to/4imNNk5
“Metaphysical Experiments, Physics and the Invention of the Universe,” explores the intricate relationship between physics and metaphysics, arguing that fundamental metaphysical assumptions profoundly shape scientific inquiry, particularly in cosmology. The author examines historical developments from Galileo and Newton to modern cosmology and particle physics, highlighting how theoretical frameworks and experimental practices are intertwined with philosophical commitments about the nature of reality. The text critiques the uncritical acceptance of mathematical universality in contemporary physics, suggesting that cosmology’s reliance on hypological and metalogical reasoning reveals a deep-seated faith rather than pure empirical validation. Ultimately, the book questions the limits and implications of a science that strives for universal mathematical truth while potentially overlooking its own inherent complexities and metaphysical underpinnings. Chapter summaries: - Cosmology in the Cave: This chapter examines the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva to explore the metaphysics involved in the pursuit of a “Theory of Everything” linking subatomic physics to cosmology. - Of God and Nature: This chapter delves into the seventeenth century to analyze the invention of the universe as a concept alongside the first telescope, considering the roles of Galileo, Descartes, and Spinoza. - Probability and Proliferation: This chapter investigates the nineteenth-century shift in physics with the rise of probabilistic reasoning and the scientific invention of the particle, focusing on figures like Maxwell and Planck. - Metaphysics with a Big Bang: This chapter discusses the twentieth-century emergence of scientific cosmology and the big bang theory, shaped by large-scale science projects and the ideas of Einstein and Hawking. - Conclusion: This final section questions the significance of large-scale experiments like the JWST as metaphysical explorations and reflects on our contemporary scientific relationship with the cosmos.
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AI-generated avatars are increasingly used to deliver science content on platforms like TikTok, raising questions about how their appearance affects viewer trust.
On TikTok there are exceptional “testimonials” like Nikola Tesla or Marie Curie delivering short science-related messages that have garnered millions of views. This is just one of many examples where AI-generated avatars are used to communicate science—a strategy that might also have its drawbacks.
The generation of images and animations through artificial intelligence is a rapidly growing field, constantly improving in quality. Yet many avatars, though realistic, still present minor flaws—glitches, delays, inconsistent facial expressions or lip-syncing—sometimes barely noticeable, but still easily picked up by a human observer.
Jasmin Baake, researcher at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Bochum, Germany, and the other authors of a study in the Journal of Science Communication realized that these avatars could trigger a phenomenon known in cognitive science as the “uncanny valley.”