1.2: Intelligence & Consciousness

Artificial Intelligence Policy

🧠 Think:

• What is the difference between Intelligence, Consciousness, and Sentience? What about between Autonomous Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Artificial General Intelligence? How can we become sufficiently precise in our language and thinking?

📖 Read:

• Mitchell, Melanie. 2023. “Why AI Is Harder than We Think”

🎧 Listen:

• Complexity podcast, Season 2, Episode 1: “What is Intelligence?”

🌐 Browse:

• Lenharo, Mariana. 2023. “Decades-long bet on consciousness ends — and it’s philosopher 1, neuroscientist 0.” Nature News.
• Lenharo, Mariana. 2024. “What should we do if AI becomes conscious? These scientists say it’s time for a plan.” Nature News.
• Marcus, Gary. 2025. “Sam Altman thinks that AGI is basically a solved problem. I don’t. Here’s why.” Substack.

📚 Additional Resources:

• “Consciousness.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• “Artificial Intelligence.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

📝 Submit:

• Discussion question to course chat

TipTip

• “📖 Read”, “🎧 Listen”, and/or “📺 Watch” items are required content for the day, and should be read/heard/watched before class on that day.
• “🌐 Browse” items should be briefly looked at but do not need to be read deeply.
• “📚 Additional Resources” do not need to be looked at; they are there to serve, if useful, as further references for your debates, final projects, and general edification later.