William Hahn: When Will AI Machines Become Genuinely Conscious?

William Hahn (director, AGI & AI Safety at Hahn AI) on how AI reshapes language, consciousness, and society — programmable mind metaphors, AI security, and emergent computation.0:00 Introduction2:30 AI’s Impact on Language and Human Thought5:10 Mind as a Programmable System and Historical Metaphors8:45 Society of Mind Theory and AI Agents11:30 Consciousness, Awareness, and Metacognition15:00 Free Will, Emotions, and Unconscious Programming18:40 Brain as an Immune System and Handling Unthinkable Thoughts22:50 Informational Parasites, Memes, and Nam Shub of Enki28:15 AI Security: Vulnerabilities and Protecting Minds33:00 The Cultural Shift: AI’s Influence on Psychology37:45 Historical Secrecy in AI and Government Role42:30 AI’s Evolution: Role of Data, Hardware, and Differentiation47:20 Speculating on Hidden AI Capabilities and Advanced Systems51:10 Richard Hamming’s Insights on Learning and Ambiguity57:10 Revisiting Ancient Knowledge and Advanced Civilizations1:03 30 Artifacts of Ancient Technology and Modern Interpretations1:09 10 Defining Meaning, Spirit, and Information in AI1:14 35 Wolfram’s Physics Model and Emergent Computation1:20 00 Computational Models of Consciousness and Mind1:27 28 Wolfram's Symbolic Language and Analog Computing1:34 00 Agent-Based Programming and AI Evolution1:39 10 Knowledge Gaps and Flat Earth as a Metaphor1:45 00 Synesthesia, Music, and Human Perception1:52 24 The Intersection of Software and Hardware2:00 02 Complexity Crisis in Modern Technology2:06 00 Optical Computing and AI's Future2:12 08 Philosophical Reflections on AI and Consciousness2:20 00 The Amorphous Boundary Between Software and Hardware2:28 00 Technology, Religion, and the Need for a New Understanding2:37 15 Outro / Support TOESPONSORS:- I personally subscribe to The Economist. SUMMER SALE to Aug 17, 2026: 50% off the annual subscription! No other podcast has this! https://economist.com/TOERESOURCES:- Snow Crash (book): https://amzn.to/3zYqJb9- Center for the Future Mind: https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/- Alan Turing’s papers archive: https://turingarchive.kings.cam.ac.uk/- Richard Hamming lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FF649D0C4407B30- Iain McGilchrist on TOE: https://youtu.be/M-SgOwc6Pe4- Gregory Chaitin on TOE: https://youtu.be/guQIkV6yCik- Mindfest playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ7ikzmc6zlOPw7Hqkc6-MXEMBy0fnZcb- Susan Schneider’s website: https://schneiderwebsite.com/index.html- Susan Schneider’s Google talk: https://youtu.be/mwVKXKlU1GU- William Hahn’s short courses: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKoZnCEAIkvkvyVpbqx71EMT8BLpD6Oaq- Ekkolapto’s Polymath project: https://www.ekkolapto.org/polymath- Ekkolapto’s event page: https://ekkolapto.substack.com/- HyperPhysics: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html- Joscha Bach and Michael Levin on TOE: https://youtu.be/kgMFnfB5E_A- Stephen Wolfram on TOE: https://youtu.be/0YRlQQw0d-4- Curt on Julian Dorey: https://youtu.be/Q1mKNGo9JLQ- Substack: https://curtjaimungal.substack.com- Support TOE on Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://nowpayments.io/donation/TOE Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal features long-form, technically detailed interviews with leading researchers in physics, mathematics, consciousness, and philosophy, exploring topics at the level of active research. For academics, graduate students, and anyone seeking depth beyond popular science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices