Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, gives a realistic view on the ongoing discussion over the nature of consciousness that is different from theories that use quantum mechanics. Hassabis said on the Lex Fridman Podcast that he didn’t believe that quantum effects were needed for consciousness and that it could be modelled using classical computer approaches.
The Debate: Quantum vs. Classical Models of Consciousness
For a long time, scientists and philosophers have been debating whether classical neuroscience can fully explain consciousness or if it has to do with fundamental quantum mechanical phenomena. Sir Roger Penrose, a physicist, and Stuart Hameroff, an anaesthesiologist, have both supported the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) theory. This hypothesis says that quantum computations inside microtubules, which are microscopic structures inside neurons, are what make consciousness happen. These quantum events, they argue, are tied to the structure of the universe itself.
Hassabis, on the other hand, doesn’t believe this method. He respects Penrose’s work in physics, but he says that there is no strong scientific evidence to support the idea that quantum processes in the brain cause consciousness.
“He worked with a lot of great neuroscientists to see if he could find ways that quantum mechanics works in the brain.” Hassabis said during the interview, “And to my knowledge, they haven’t found anything convincing yet.”
Consciousness as Classical Computation
Hassabis thinks that awareness could come from classical information processing, which is what today’s computers do. If this is true, it means that classical computers running artificial intelligence could be able to copy consciousness.
He said that algorithms and processing frameworks that don’t use quantum physics could ultimately be able to imitate different parts of the human mind, such as perception and reasoning.
Hassabis added, “My bet is that the brain is mostly doing classical computing, which means that a classical computer can model or mimic all of the phenomena.”
The Question of Qualia and Subjective Experience
Hassabis was sure that classical models were right, but he admitted that it is still hard to explain what philosophers call “qualia,” or the subjective experience of awareness.
He said that new brain interface technologies, like the ones Neuralink is working on, could help close this gap in the future. We might be able to experience artificial forms of consciousness and compare them to our own by linking the human brain directly to computers.
“To stay up with the AI systems, humans might be able to feel what it’s like to compute on silicon. And maybe it will help us figure it out.
Toward a New Kind of Consciousness?
Hassabis hinted at a time when people with artificial parts in their brains could create completely new types of consciousness. This hybrid model might provide us with new ideas about how awareness works across diverse substrates, instead of being completely artificial or completely organic.
This vision makes us think about several crucial things. Is it possible for silicon-based devices to have consciousness? If it can, how would it be different from biological consciousness? Hassabis doesn’t say he has all the answers, but he thinks classical computation is a good place to start looking for more.
Conclusion
The mystery of consciousness is still one of the hardest problems in science to solve. Demis Hassabis, on the other hand, says that we should use conventional computation and neurology to support our ideas instead of quantum-based ones like Orch OR.
As AI and brain-computer interfaces improve, the debate may change from whether computers can become aware to how these new kinds of intelligence will interact with our own. Scientists like Hassabis are helping to change the way we think about one of the most mysterious things about being human, yet the route to understanding consciousness is far from complete.
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