ASEF Podcast (EN): Michael Graziano on the Attention Schema Theory of Consciousness [Episode #47]

In this episode of the ASEF Podcast, neuroscientist and Princeton professor Michael Graziano joins host Tania Janko to unpack his Attention Schema Theory.

Graziano explains why consciousness can be understood as a self-model, how our brains construct simplified versions of ourselves and others, and why this illusion is both useful and inevitable.

He contrasts his theory with Global Workspace Theory and critiques Integrated Information Theory, highlighting why a self-model is essential to any scientific account of consciousness.

During the conversation, we also dive into the evolutionary roots of consciousness, the pitfalls of panpsychism, parallels with phantom limb phenomena, and what these ideas mean for humans, animals, and potentially machines.

The discussion moves from the false belief task as a probe of the theory of mind, to reinterpreting the original Turing test. We also talk about what it would take to build conscious machines.

We conclude the conversation with a look at the ethical dilemmas of mind uploading and why understanding consciousness may be the key to navigating the AI revolution —a transition as profound as the origin of life itself.