7 Jun 2026 11:00
Humanism and AI
The Consciousness Delusion
In this solo episode I discuss Artificial Intelligence. Should we agree with Richard Dawkins that Claude is conscious? Probably not, for several reasons. I talk about how LLMs work, why I don't think they are conscious and how a humanist should respond.
Topics:
- (Semi) Technical description of how Large Language Models work
- LLMs are trained on the sum total of human hopes and fears
- Why all the intelligence in AI systems is from human sources
- Why I do not believe LLMs can be conscious in principle
- The Hype problem
- The Humanistic response to AI
Show notes
https://gracefulatheist.com/2026/06/07/humanism-and-ai/
Here are several source material links from my research for this episode:
- When Dawkins met Claude Could this AI be conscious?
- https://unherd.com/2026/05/is-ai-the-next-phase-of-evolution/?edition=us
- ELIZA and the missing secretary
- https://theconversation.com/my-search-for-the-mysterious-missing-secretary-who-shaped-chatbot-history-225602
- Alan Turing and the Turing test
- https://academic.oup.com/mind/article/LIX/236/433/986238?login=false
- Metaphors for how the brain works
- https://mechanism.ucsd.edu/bill/teaching/w14/phil151/metaphorsandconceptionsofbrain.pdf
- Alison Gopnik on Sean Carroll’s pdocast
- https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/17/308-alison-gopnik-on-children-ai-and-modes-of-thinking/
- Neil deGrasse Tyson on the Late Show with Steven Colbert
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qon72VKH30
- AI as normal technology
- https://knightcolumbia.org/content/ai-as-normal-technology
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