Episode 13: Dr. Suzanne Gildert - the frontier of AI consciousness
Developing humanoid robots, unravelling the complexities of AI, and the mysteries of consciousness.
Here is Episode 13 of the North of Patient Podcast:
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This week's guest is the remarkable Dr. Suzanne Gildert. She's a physicist, artist, and AI tech executive based in Vancouver on a mission to uncover the mysteries of consciousness and innovate conscious AI.
Dr. Gildert is the CEO and founder of Nirvanic Consciousness Technologies, a quantum AI deep tech startup focused on unlocking the computational power of consciousness. Her journey blends academia, entrepreneurship, and cutting edge technology. She is also known for founding Kindred AI and Sanctuary AI, two groundbreaking robotics companies in Canada.
In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking advancements and pressing challenges in quantum computing, examining the transformative potential of these technologies to reshape our world. Beyond the science, we also explore the philosophical dimensions of AI consciousness, questioning whether AI can ever truly replicate human experience and identity.
Interested in learning more about Nirvanic AI? You can find Nirvanic on:
Key stamps from our conversation are below:
03:16 Suzanne's Career Journey
05:45 Understanding Quantum Computing
09:44 Suzanne's Early Interest in Quantum Mechanics
13:10 Kindred AI and Robotics
18:08 Sanctuary AI and Humanoid Robots
22:11 Human-Robot Interaction
31:19 Consciousness and AI
36:21 Challenges in Proving AI Consciousness
37:59 Quantum Theories of Consciousness
39:21 Experimenting with Quantum AI
45:38 Potential Applications in Healthcare
53:09 Philosophical Implications of Consciousness
59:47 Personal Journey and Reflections
01:05:03 Concluding Thoughts
Key Quotes
“We still haven't figured out the final theory of everything. Like how the universe connects to everything else … so it leaves open the door that maybe there's a crossover or a bridge between the worlds of science and the worlds of spirituality, where there really is something that connects us all together. Now if you’re a physicist, you might think of that as a quantum field. If you’re a spiritual person, you might think of that as God ... But I think these two camps which often fight are actually saying the same thing, just using different words.” - Dr. Suzanne Gildert
“ The world is designed for humans. It's designed for people, our form factor. So the idea is if you can create a robot that mimics that form factor, then it in principle can do any task … That's where it starts to intersect with healthcare because you could imagine taking a humanoid robot. If you have enough training data and enough smart AI on the back end, it could learn to start doing tasks in healthcare.” - Dr. Suzanne Gildert
“What really is mental health? It's about how we're experiencing the world, how that makes us feel. And how there could be disorders associated with that as well. So I think researching consciousness is really, really important. It has huge applications in the future for our own human mental health, as well as thinking about the kind of minds of AI. We're really understanding the human mind.” - Dr. Suzanne Gildert