Machine Consciousness: Experimental Evidence

Over the years psi research has been linked inextricably with consciousness, which is considered be a fundamental characteristic of living systems. In all facets of psi interactions through space and time – remote sensing, presentiment, telepathy, and psychokinesis – either the agent or the receiver, or both, are alive and consciousness.

The link between psi and consciousness is so firm that when psi effects have been found in lower life forms, that finding has been used as evidence that these life forms are conscious. We presume that it is because dogs are conscious that they can be aware of when their owners decide to come home. Finches exhibit precognition of an image of a crawling snake. There is even some evidence that earthworms have sufficient consciousness to anticipate vibrations.

Inanimate systems, on the other hand, have shown psi effects only when interacting with animate systems, as in mind-matter interactions. Electronic random event generators are subject to influence or access by the consciousness of individuals or groups.

Must one of the parties in a psi interaction be living? If not, is that evidence for machine consciousness? We have developed a system in which two Psyleron electronic random number generators are linked to produce a psi interaction. The results provide evidence in deciding whether inanimate systems exhibit a fundamental characteristic of consciousness.

Garret Moddel is a professor of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at the University of Colorado. Along with quantum engineering of new energy conversion technologies, his research group investigates psi phenomena. Recently he served as president of the SSE, and prior to that, president & CEO of Phiar Corporation, a high-tech start-up company. Garret earned a BSEE degree from Stanford and MS and PhD degrees in Applied Physics from Harvard.

Zixu Zhu is currently a PhD student in the Quantum Engineering Laboratory at the University of Colorado at Boulder, developing new geometric diodes for rectenna solar cells. He received his bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University in 2008.

Adam Curry is a technology entrepreneur interested in the practical applications of anomalies. His primary focus is Psyleron, a company developing mind-matter interaction products based on the discoveries of the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab. Adam is also the SSE webmaster, and lives in the Bay area.

Recorded at the 30th annual SSE Conference in 2011 at the Millennium Harvest House in Boulder, Colorado, USA.

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Published on November 13, 2018