Event Details
WHAT: Can machines acquire human-mindedness? โ an in-person RASBJ talk by philosopher Sebastian Sunday Grรจve, in conversation with cyber security expert Sam Williams.
WHEN: Wednesday May 22, 7.00-8.00 PM, Beijing time; doors open at 6.30 PM. Please be punctual; latecomers will be denied entry.
WHERE: The Bell inside the British Embassy, 11 Guanghua Rd, Chaoyang, Beijing, China, 100600 (address in Chinese: ๅไบฌๅธๆ้ณๅบๅปบๅฝ้จๅคๅ ๅ่ทฏ11ๅท ่ฑๅฝๅคงไฝฟ้ฆ ๏ผNOTE: Attendees, please bring the original passport or ID document you used to register in order to be allowed entry; no photographs or copies, please. Attendees will be asked to surrender cellphones, laptops and other electronics upon check-in.
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT:
There are many things, cognitive tasks included, that machines can already do better than the average human. Still, many of us are inclined to think that AI systems do not really understand anything. More generally, it's hard to believe that machines can become truly intelligent, conscious, and sentient (that is, feel things the way a human can). From the starting point that what we mean by truly intelligent, conscious, and sentient is simply how a human is, or in other words 'human-mindedness', assistant professor of philosophy at Peking University Sebastian Sunday Grรจve presents a simple but powerful philosophical argument that machines can indeed acquire human-mindedness. He explains this by drawing on lesser-known AI systems and adding a little thought experimentation to the mix.
MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sebastian Sunday Grรจve is an assistant professor at Peking University and Fellow of the Institute of Foreign Philosophy at Peking University and a former Berggruen China Fellow. He joined Peking University in 2019 having previously taught philosophy at the University of Oxford, where he gained his doctorate in 2018. In 2014, his essay 'The Importance of Understanding Each Other in Philosophy' was awarded the Annual Essay Prize of the British Royal Institute of Philosophy (a pre-print of the essay is available here). He works broadly in philosophy, on both practical and theoretical issues and has published papers on topics ranging from aesthetics and the theory of knowledge to logic and the philosophy of mind. Recent pieces include 'AI's First Philosopher', 'Can Machines Be Conscious?', and 'Nietzsche and the Machines'.
HOW MUCH: Admission is RMB 100 for members of RASBJ and partner RAS branches, and for staff of The British Embassy; RMB 200 for non-members. If you experience difficulty paying via Wechat, please try Alipay instead. You can also pay by credit card. The cost includes a token for one free drink; attendees can purchase additional refreshment directly from the Bell for cash only. Interested in becoming an RASBJ member? Please sign up at https://rasbj.org/membership
HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: Please click "Register" or "I Will Attend" and follow the instructions. You must enter your full name and passport/ID number, as the Embassy will check IDs carefully, and you must bring that passport/ID with you to the event. For payment, Alipay may be easier than WeChat. After successful registration you will receive a confirmation email. If you seem not to have received it, please check your spam folder. Members and Embassy staff have priority until Wednesday 15 May. Please register no later than the deadline of noon, Monday 20 May. Registrants will receive detailed updates on Embassy procedures nearer the event.
REFUND POLICY: Attendees will be refunded in full if RASBJ cancels this event. Registrations for those who have not paid by Monday May 20 at noon will be cancelled. After noon on Monday 20 May, registrants who cannot attend for personal reasons will not be refunded.
