“Mira Murati Unveils Thinking Machines Lab, Giving AI a Welcoming Makeover”

“Mira Murati Launches Thinking Machines Lab to Make AI More Accessible”

“In a lab somewhere in Japan, Mira Murati is grappling with questions that have puzzled humanity since prehistory. What is consciousness? What’s the self? And what the heck happens if you mix those two things up with artificial intelligence?” Read on to find out how her curiosities are steering what could be the next breakthrough in AI technology.

Murati is part of a network of whiz kids who reside within SoftBank’s enigmatic, “Thinking Machine Laboratory”. Given that the lab’s name harks back to the days of science fiction novellas, it seems only right that they’re the ones prodding the beast of artificial intelligence. The fact we’re even having this conversation is surprising; we’re a society that sneers at the toaster when it burns the bread – prospective of being at the mercy of an AI-filled world raises more than just one skeptical eyebrow.

The transhumanist – a supporter of the use of AI to enhance human intellect and physiology – is spearheading research into a domain even quantum physicists would deem “a bit much”. Here’s what’s happening: It’s about mixing consciousness and the self with machine learning. Yes, literally. Murati and her intrepid group of lab rats (respectably said) are attempting to discover if machines could someday understand the mess that’s called human emotion.

Working at the Tokyo-based lab, Murati seems unperturbed by the ambitious nature of this task. “I understand that this is a very hard and long-term problem”, she tells us, clearly unfazed by the enormity of her quest.

“This mission is very exciting but can be scary,” Murati concedes while almost certainly plotting world domination – or at least that’s what every Sci-Fi novel ever has taught us to expect. Nevertheless, the sheer challenge the project presents doesn’t seem to deter her and her team, they’re more like a moth to the flame.

The road to merging technology and human consciousness is packed with obstacles, like skeptics (see the aforementioned toaster outrage) and small things like moral ambiguity and the disturbing potential of machines ‘waking up’ one day. But hey, who’s worried? Surely not the ones hoping to pull off the greatest science experiment since putting a man on the moon.

This being an opinion piece, here’s a hot take: as terrifying as it may be, this research might just be what we need. Not because machines that can understand humans at the most intimate level might quickly become creepier than any Black Mirror episode ever could. But because to understand how to teach machines about consciousness, researchers will have to get their grip on that which still remains a riddle. The human psyche.

For decades, scientists have been scratching their heads and dissecting brains, attempting to unravel the enigma that is our consciousness. If Murati’s team manages to decode that for teaching machines, it would imply we’ve comprehended the mystic and baffling phenomena of consciousness. So even if we do end up with emotionally enlightened robots, perhaps we’ll have also gained an understanding that’s eluded us for centuries.

So here’s a toast to experimentation and unfettered ambition! We’re keeping an eye on you, Murati. No pressure, right?

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/mira-murati-thinking-machines-lab/