The AI Argument EP54 - 15% Chance AI is Conscious, Altman’s Doom Joke, and 5D Mind Expansion with AI

AI consciousness could be closer than you think. Justin thinks we might already be seeing slices of awareness every time an AI answers a question. Frank’s quick to point out that we don’t even know how our own consciousness works, so deciding whether AI is conscious is tricky.

They both agree that we’re a lot less certain about all this than we like to pretend. Especially when a new expert at Anthropic puts the odds at 15% that AIs are already conscious. 

Frank also calls out OpenAI’s confusing changes to Deep Research limits, while Justin’s too busy singing the praises of o3, including how it helped him move house without losing his mind. They clash over whether Sam Altman should be making jokes about AI manners while building world-altering technology, and take a sideways glance at the growing crowd using LLMs to "awaken" their own higher consciousness. 

Plus, they look at AI’s talent for confidently providing definitions for nonsense idioms, and the results are just as unhinged as you’d expect.
It’s a lively mix: the latest AI news, a few uncomfortable questions, and some absolute nonsense you won’t want to miss — all wrapped up in the usual cheeky back-and-forth.

Chapters

• 0:00 15% Chance AI is Conscious, Altman’s Doom Joke, and 5D Mind Expansion with AI: The AI Argument EP54
• 2:19 Is O3 helping Justin move house?
• 4:59 Did we just get more o3 Deep Research uses?
• 8:58 Did o3 ace ARC-AGI for pocket change?
• 10:45 Should Altman joke about AI manners and doom?
• 15:58 Are AIs already a little bit conscious?
• 22:11 Do we need AIs that can say no to us?
• 25:15 Can you really 'awaken' your AI with a prompt?
• 31:00 Can you lick a badger twice?