FutureBites with Dr. Bruce McCabe - What Does it Mean to Make a Robot Conscious? - with Hod Lipson

What Does it Mean to Make a Robot Conscious? - with Hod Lipson

11/15/22 • 53 min

What does it mean for a robot to be conscious? Can a robot have feelings? Will we make robots that take care of one another, upgrade themselves, and reproduce?
I discussed these and other mind-bending questions about the future of robots with Hod Lipson, the brilliant founder of Columbia University’s Creative Machines Lab.
Welcome to FutureBites with Dr. Bruce McCabe, futurist and keynote speaker. In this episode, we're looking at the extraordinary future lives of robots with Hod, a global pioneer in both the ‘hard’ mechanics and the ‘soft’ AI underpinnings of robotics. A Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Data Science and founder and director of the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University, Hod lives to push the boundaries of what robots can be and should be. He has BIG ideas about the future, and he and his colleagues prove out those ideas with real-world prototypes.
We met at his lab, and as he walked me through the happy chaos of robot limbs, spare parts and experiments-in-progress, it struck me that not one experiment was trivial. Each represented a potential game-changer.
Hod took me in unexpected directions and introduced me to many new possibilities. I particularly enjoyed his knack for distilling complex ideas into simple one-liners. We covered plenty of ground and could have gone on for hours. All the laughter on the recording gives you some idea of all the fun we were having!
I hope you enjoy listening to the podcast as much as we did making it.
For additional comments, and to read the interview transcript, check out the FutureBites post on the website.
Learn more about my work as a futurist speaker.
See you in the future!

Previous Episode

Can Lawyers Save The Planet? - with Michael Gerrard

Can lawyers save the planet? I asked the world’s foremost climate lawyer.
Welcome to FutureBites with Dr. Bruce McCabe, futurist and keynote speaker. In this episode, instead of examining science and technology pathways to a better future, we're looking at the role of litigation.
Michael Gerrard is a globally-recognised leader in environmental law and a passionate lifelong advocate for sustainability. He is Professor at the Columbia Law School and Founder of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, has tried numerous cases in Federal and State courts, and is the author or editor more than 13 books on climate law, the most recent of which is Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States.
In his book-lined office at Columbia University we discussed the current status of climate litigation, the delaying tactics of defendants, what's next, future scenarios, and the role litigation can realistically play in curbing the behaviours of greenhouse gas emitters and securing a pathway to a better future for the planet.

We also canvassed his personal journey, which goes back to the high levels of air and water pollution he encountered as a child in Charleston, West Virginia, courtesy of the petrochemical industry. Ever since, he has dedicated his entire professional life to environmental advocacy.
What a privilege it was to spend time with him!
For additional comments, and to read the interview transcript, check out the FutureBites post on the website.
Learn more about Bruce's work as a futurist speaker.
See you in the future!

Next Episode

Can We Reverse Aging? - with Jan Vijg

Rejuvenation and regeneration, hope versus hyperbole, healthspans and lifespans. Such is the frenzied focus on the potential for new drugs to extend our lifespans right now, I cannot deliver a keynote on the future of healthcare or even the future of the world in general without addressing the possibility of ‘age reversal’ therapies. But it’s a complex field, with more than a few charlatans and opportunists promising new drugs that’ll buy you 150 years and more, which makes sifting through the rhetoric for the reality extra challenging.
So I asked one of the world’s leading geroscientists to help me out.
Welcome to FutureBites with Dr. Bruce McCabe, futurist and keynote speaker. In this episode, we're examining the promise of new therapies for human rejuvenation and 'age-reversal' with Jan Vijg, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Jan offers one of the most accomplished voices on the subject. When he comments publicly, he does his utmost to stay grounded in the science and the data. The perfect person to cut through to the reality!
Jan was exceptionally generous in taking time out of his schedule to walk me through the complexities of his field. As you will hear, within minutes of shaking hands I also discovered he had a wicked sense of humor and shared a lifelong curiosity about broader trajectories in innovation.
It was a wonderful, brain-expanding conversation as we canvassed nothing less than tinkering with the future of our species!
For additional comments, and to read the interview transcript, check out the FutureBites post on the website.
Learn more about my work as a futurist speaker.
See you in the future!