What do theories of consciousness predict about consciousness in animals, infants, and machines?​

TWCF0561

  • TWCF Number:

    0561

  • Project Duration:

    May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2024

  • Core Funding Area:

    Big Questions

  • Priority:

    Accelerating Research on Consciousness

  • Region:

    North America

  • Amount Awarded:

    $200,000

  • Grant DOI*:

    https://doi.org/10.54224/20561

    • *A Grant DOI (digital object identifier) is a unique, open, global, persistent and machine-actionable identifier for a grant.

Director: Claudia Passos Ferreira

Institution: New York University

Which animals are conscious? Are infants conscious? What about artificial intelligence systems? Exploring these questions has important implications for broader issues in philosophy and science.

Led by Claudia Passos Ferreira at New York University, this project will draw on leading theories of consciousness, such as global workspace theory and integrated information theory, to explore whether they make clear predictions about consciousness in animals, infants, and machines—and, if so, what those predictions are. The researchers will also assess whether these predictions are conceptually robust and whether they can be tested. This will help researchers better understand these theories, their predictions, and their impact on important issues about the distribution of consciousness.

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