What would it be like to be a conscious AI?

This is what happens when you see the face of someone you love

Sponsored by Morgan Stanley The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Thinking machines  09.02.21 Good morning! Today we've got a fantastic piece that ponders what it would be like to be a conscious machine. Also: what goes on inside your brain when you see someone you love. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. What would it be like to be a conscious AI?    The idea of a robot that somehow replicates consciousness has been around so long it feels familiar. It's a concept that fascinates us: conscious AI is a mainstay of science fiction. Such a robot doesn’t exist, of course, and maybe never will. Indeed, the concept of a machine with a subjective experience of the world and a first-person view of itself goes against the grain of mainstream AI research.  It collides with questions about the nature of consciousness and self—things we still don’t entirely understand. Even imagining what one would be like raises serious ethical questions that we may never be able to answer. What rights would such a being have, and how might we safeguard them?  And yet, while conscious machines may still be mythical, we should prepare for the idea that we might one day create them. Read the full story. —Will Douglas Heaven This story comes from the latest print edition of MIT Technology Review, which is dedicated to exploring the mind. To read the full thing, you'll need to subscribe. Luckily, subscriptions start at a mere $50 a year. We think you'll find it's well worth it. This is what happens when you see the face of someone you love It's also well worth checking out this piece from the magazine by my colleague Tate Ryan-Mosley, all about the many processes that take place inside her brain within milliseconds of her recognizing the face of someone she loves.  You'll be amazed just how much goes on! Read the full story.  We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Photos of sea slugs that look like David Bowie outfits. It's even better than it sounds, thank you Caitlin.    + The US is entering "pumpkin spice everything" season, and regretfully that now includes hard seltzer.    + Check out the finalists of this year's Bird Photographer of the Year award. And if you fancy a giggle, the Comedy Wildlife Photography finalists are as hilarious as ever.   + A pizza party… in space!   + If, like me, you regularly find yourself wide awake at 3am, you might find these tips useful. (NYT $)   + These photos of leaping dogs are great.   + Take a virtual hike through the Teton Range in Wyoming. (NYT $) Sponsor Message New Investor Opportunities Emerge in Cloud-Era Cybersecurity As companies accelerate the move into the cloud, cybersecurity challenges have intensified. Tools that were once effective at diagnosing and monitoring the performance of IT infrastructure are now falling short. To mitigate new threats, two previously distinct markets, Security Analytics and Observability, are poised to converge into a combined discipline, enabling more effective threat prevention, detection and response. Morgan Stanley takes a close look at the opportunities for investors. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The biggest study yet proves that masks work Researchers tracked more than 340,000 adults across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh. (WP $)   + Fully vaccinated? You should still wear a mask indoors. Here's why. (Wired $)  2 What should we call third covid vaccine shots?  Some experts say we shouldn't call them boosters. But does it matter? (STAT)    + What the US needs to do to get the world vaccinated. (New Yorker $)   + We need to differentiate between hesitancy and resistance towards vaccines. (CNET)   + Breakthrough infections are less likely to lead to long covid. (NYT $)  3 Reddit is finally cracking down on covid misinformation It took a huge protest from moderators to push it into banning one of the biggest covid conspiracy subreddits. (Vice)   + Facebook is hosting tons of ivermectin groups. (Insider)  4 A six-week abortion ban has come into effect in Texas Troublingly, the law was explicitly written to prevent courts from blocking it. (Vox)   5 An average day in a carbon-neutral world in 2050 Our societies and economies will have to transform—but so will our behavior, too. (New Scientist $)    + Air pollution is slashing years off the lives of billions. (The Guardian)    + Weather disasters are more costly, but less deadly, than they used to be. (Axios)   + Climate change is making it harder to flee disaster. (Wired $)  6 Self-driving cars still aren’t as clever as a seven-month-old 🚘 They’re still nowhere near understanding the world the way a human does. And that's dangerous. (The Economist $)   + A human-driven car ran over an autonomous robot. Who pays? (The Verge)   + When do we classify AI as "high risk?" (Wired $)  7 Britain tamed Big Tech and… no one seems to have noticed All those child safety measures they're announcing? It's not out of the goodness of their hearts. It's due to new regulations. (Wired UK)   8 The red warning light on Richard Branson's spaceflight 🚀 Unlike its competitors, Virgin Galactic relies heavily on the competence of its pilots. (New Yorker $)   9 Could YouTube be giving people Tourette's? Mass sociogenic illness (aka mass hysteria) seems far more likely. (Wired UK)   + The best bit about ASMR videos? The comments below. (The Guardian)  10 Someone bought a fake Banksy NFT for $330,000  Unlike most NFT scams though, they got their money back. (The Next Web) Claim your end of summer offer today.  Get 2 additional months FREE when you purchase a subscription to MIT Technology Review. With thought-provoking perspectives and insightful analysis, our journalism will help deepen your understanding of the world. Subscribe now and save. Quote of the day “I don’t think we’re really going to turn the corner until next spring.”  —Dr Celine Gounder, an epidemiologist and infectious disease specialist, tells the New York Times that the Delta variant is likely to push transmission up still further in the US. Top image credit: Henry Horenstein | Getty Please send pumpkin spice abominations to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up today Leading with Innovation. Join us virtually September 28-30. For a limited time, get early bird savings when you register by July 8. Register now   Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142   Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list.  Subscription Information This message was sent to  Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally