William Hahn: When Will AI Machines Become Genuinely Conscious?

William Hahn (director, AGI & AI Safety at Hahn AI) on how AI reshapes language, consciousness, and society — programmable mind metaphors, AI security, and emergent computation.

0:00 Introduction
2:30 AI’s Impact on Language and Human Thought
5:10 Mind as a Programmable System and Historical Metaphors
8:45 Society of Mind Theory and AI Agents
11:30 Consciousness, Awareness, and Metacognition
15:00 Free Will, Emotions, and Unconscious Programming
18:40 Brain as an Immune System and Handling Unthinkable Thoughts
22:50 Informational Parasites, Memes, and Nam Shub of Enki
28:15 AI Security: Vulnerabilities and Protecting Minds
33:00 The Cultural Shift: AI’s Influence on Psychology
37:45 Historical Secrecy in AI and Government Role
42:30 AI’s Evolution: Role of Data, Hardware, and Differentiation
47:20 Speculating on Hidden AI Capabilities and Advanced Systems
51:10 Richard Hamming’s Insights on Learning and Ambiguity
57:10 Revisiting Ancient Knowledge and Advanced Civilizations
1:03 30 Artifacts of Ancient Technology and Modern Interpretations
1:09 10 Defining Meaning, Spirit, and Information in AI
1:14 35 Wolfram’s Physics Model and Emergent Computation
1:20 00 Computational Models of Consciousness and Mind
1:27 28 Wolfram's Symbolic Language and Analog Computing
1:34 00 Agent-Based Programming and AI Evolution
1:39 10 Knowledge Gaps and Flat Earth as a Metaphor
1:45 00 Synesthesia, Music, and Human Perception
1:52 24 The Intersection of Software and Hardware
2:00 02 Complexity Crisis in Modern Technology
2:06 00 Optical Computing and AI's Future
2:12 08 Philosophical Reflections on AI and Consciousness
2:20 00 The Amorphous Boundary Between Software and Hardware
2:28 00 Technology, Religion, and the Need for a New Understanding
2:37 15 Outro / Support TOE

SPONSORS:

- I personally subscribe to The Economist. TOE listeners get 35% off the annual subscription. No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOE

RESOURCES:

- Snow Crash (book): https://amzn.to/3zYqJb9
- Center for the Future Mind: https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/
- Alan Turing’s papers archive: https://turingarchive.kings.cam.ac.uk/
- Richard Hamming lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FF649D0C4407B30
- Iain McGilchrist on TOE: https://youtu.be/M-SgOwc6Pe4
- Gregory Chaitin on TOE: https://youtu.be/guQIkV6yCik
- Mindfest playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOPw7Hqkc6-MXEMBy0fnZcb
- Susan Schneider’s website: https://schneiderwebsite.com/index.html
- Susan Schneider’s Google talk: https://youtu.be/mwVKXKlU1GU
- William Hahn’s short courses: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKoZnCEAIkvkvyVpbqx71EMT8BLpD6Oaq
- Ekkolapto’s Polymath project: https://www.ekkolapto.org/polymath
- Ekkolapto’s event page: https://ekkolapto.substack.com/
- HyperPhysics: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html
- Joscha Bach and Michael Levin on TOE: https://youtu.be/kgMFnfB5E_A
- Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4
- Curt on Julian Dorey: https://youtu.be/Q1mKNGo9JLQ
- Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com
- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices