Is Artificial Intelligence Conscious?

Many people are concerned that AI is at present Conscious or will become Conscious at some point. And if so, will they turn then on their human overlords? Or worse, they might remain calm and continue to be helpful at which point we would have on our hands a huge ethical issue: forcing intelligent beings to do slave-like work without any compensation or protection? The problem with most conversations about AI and consciousness is that most of us them are premised on a very poor understanding of Consciousness, founded upon very shaky and outdated materialist reductionist foundations. So I thought let's just set the record straight by offering a few perspectives from Sāmkhya, Advaita Vedanta and Tantra to answer this most pressing of questions!

On this very auspicious day of Raksha Bandhana, the day when we honor our brothers and sisters and siblings, I want to firstly say to each and every one of you, you who are my dear brothers, sisters, siblings: I love you immeasurably!
Thank you.
No words will express my reverence to you, you who are Goddess embodied!
May all my words be so many flowers offered in devotion and surrender at your lotus feet!
May these words be themselves like the thread that I wrap around your wrists! (Because today many siblings and friends will be tying a thread or amulet around each other’s wrists to signify their bond and mutual protection of one another!)

Also today’s pūrnimā (full moon) is Hayagrīva Jayanti, when we celebrate that divine emanation of Godhead with the horse’s head who returned the Vedas after they were stolen (I.e who revived the Vedas with his Tantrik transmission) and who revealed the secret names of Lalitāmbika to the sage Agastya in the Brahmananda Purana!

He is the Tantrik Guru par excellence and so today, in the name of discussing the subtlest and most esoteric of Tantrik doctrines, I want to explore what I consider to be among the most profound ideas expressed which we find in aphorism in Vasugupta’s Śiva Sūtra: drśyam śarīram, “the entire universe is your body.”

We have been exploring Tantrik subtle anatomy together for some weeks now, discussing nādis, cakras, prāna, Kundalinī etc. But in the background of all of this is this profoundly radical notion of embodiment, a metaphysical claim about the true nature of our essential being that once heard, can grant enlightenment immediately! It is precisely this claim that we will explore today.

But you know, I noticed there was a very thrilling discussion in the Discord the other night about Artifical Intelligence and its role in spiritual communities! Amanda Mā suggested I say something about Consciousness and AI and since I can never refuse her (especially not on Raksha Bandhana!) I’ve decided to name tonight’s talk “is AI Conscious?” In answering this question from the Tantrik point of view, we can explore the aforementioned aphorism, drśyam śarīram!

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST, Friday 10am PST and again Friday 6pm PST.  
There's Q&A right after the lectre. 
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

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