Calum
@cccalum.bsky.social
Speaker, writer, and adviser on AI.
Co-founder of Conscium.
Co-host of the London Futurists Podcast.
Co-founder of Conscium.
Co-host of the London Futurists Podcast.
2/7
It is surprisingly hard to specify all the things that human radiologists are doing which machines cannot yet replicate, but there are a lot of them. Nevertheless, 2030 is a common estimate for the arrival of superintelligence.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
It is surprisingly hard to specify all the things that human radiologists are doing which machines cannot yet replicate, but there are a lot of them. Nevertheless, 2030 is a common estimate for the arrival of superintelligence.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
What do AIs need to acquire to reach Superintelligence
By creating superintelligence, we are turning ourselves into chimpanzees, so we should find out what cognitive capabilities separate us from our successors-to-be.
www.forbes.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:00 PM
2/7
It is surprisingly hard to specify all the things that human radiologists are doing which machines cannot yet replicate, but there are a lot of them. Nevertheless, 2030 is a common estimate for the arrival of superintelligence.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
It is surprisingly hard to specify all the things that human radiologists are doing which machines cannot yet replicate, but there are a lot of them. Nevertheless, 2030 is a common estimate for the arrival of superintelligence.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
Boston Dynamics CEO thinks robot housekeepers could be ten years away.
If he´s right, it´s time to short Tesla.
www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
If he´s right, it´s time to short Tesla.
www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
Robots could reach our homes within 10 years, says Boston Dynamics CEO
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter tells Euronews Next about robot safety, its newest model, and AI.
www.euronews.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Boston Dynamics CEO thinks robot housekeepers could be ten years away.
If he´s right, it´s time to short Tesla.
www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
If he´s right, it´s time to short Tesla.
www.euronews.com/next/2025/11...
5/7
B. Knowledge Creation and Reasoning
Robust scientific method
Causal discovery and variable invention
Handling ambiguity
Hunches and intuition
Analogy and cross-domain transfer
Meta-cognition
Deception and subterfuge
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
B. Knowledge Creation and Reasoning
Robust scientific method
Causal discovery and variable invention
Handling ambiguity
Hunches and intuition
Analogy and cross-domain transfer
Meta-cognition
Deception and subterfuge
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
What do AIs need to acquire to reach Superintelligence
By creating superintelligence, we are turning ourselves into chimpanzees, so we should find out what cognitive capabilities separate us from our successors-to-be.
www.forbes.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
5/7
B. Knowledge Creation and Reasoning
Robust scientific method
Causal discovery and variable invention
Handling ambiguity
Hunches and intuition
Analogy and cross-domain transfer
Meta-cognition
Deception and subterfuge
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
B. Knowledge Creation and Reasoning
Robust scientific method
Causal discovery and variable invention
Handling ambiguity
Hunches and intuition
Analogy and cross-domain transfer
Meta-cognition
Deception and subterfuge
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
1/7
About a decade ago, Geoff Hinton declared that human radiologists were like Wily E. Coyote in the Roadrunner show. They had run off the edge of a cliff, but hadn’t realised it yet. Ten years on, radiology has yet to be automated.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
About a decade ago, Geoff Hinton declared that human radiologists were like Wily E. Coyote in the Roadrunner show. They had run off the edge of a cliff, but hadn’t realised it yet. Ten years on, radiology has yet to be automated.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
What do AIs need to acquire to reach Superintelligence
By creating superintelligence, we are turning ourselves into chimpanzees, so we should find out what cognitive capabilities separate us from our successors-to-be.
www.forbes.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
1/7
About a decade ago, Geoff Hinton declared that human radiologists were like Wily E. Coyote in the Roadrunner show. They had run off the edge of a cliff, but hadn’t realised it yet. Ten years on, radiology has yet to be automated.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
About a decade ago, Geoff Hinton declared that human radiologists were like Wily E. Coyote in the Roadrunner show. They had run off the edge of a cliff, but hadn’t realised it yet. Ten years on, radiology has yet to be automated.
www.forbes.com/sites/calumc...
10/10
Lenore thinks Alan Turing would probably agree that his famous Test is better seen as a way to ascribe consciousness than to test for intelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore thinks Alan Turing would probably agree that his famous Test is better seen as a way to ascribe consciousness than to test for intelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 12, 2025 at 8:02 PM
10/10
Lenore thinks Alan Turing would probably agree that his famous Test is better seen as a way to ascribe consciousness than to test for intelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore thinks Alan Turing would probably agree that his famous Test is better seen as a way to ascribe consciousness than to test for intelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
9/10
Michael Graziano says that a non-conscious superintelligence would be a sociopath, whereas a conscious one could be empathetic. (Admittedly, humans can be sociopathic.) Given the choice, Lenore would opt for conscious superintelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Michael Graziano says that a non-conscious superintelligence would be a sociopath, whereas a conscious one could be empathetic. (Admittedly, humans can be sociopathic.) Given the choice, Lenore would opt for conscious superintelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 11, 2025 at 10:09 PM
9/10
Michael Graziano says that a non-conscious superintelligence would be a sociopath, whereas a conscious one could be empathetic. (Admittedly, humans can be sociopathic.) Given the choice, Lenore would opt for conscious superintelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Michael Graziano says that a non-conscious superintelligence would be a sociopath, whereas a conscious one could be empathetic. (Admittedly, humans can be sociopathic.) Given the choice, Lenore would opt for conscious superintelligence.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
8/10
Lenore believes that artificial consciousness is not here yet, but that its arrival is inevitable, and fairly soon.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore believes that artificial consciousness is not here yet, but that its arrival is inevitable, and fairly soon.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM
8/10
Lenore believes that artificial consciousness is not here yet, but that its arrival is inevitable, and fairly soon.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore believes that artificial consciousness is not here yet, but that its arrival is inevitable, and fairly soon.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
7/10
The Blums´ CTM model has the advantage of being compatible with pretty much all the major theories of consciousness, like Global Workplace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, the four Es, and so on.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blums´ CTM model has the advantage of being compatible with pretty much all the major theories of consciousness, like Global Workplace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, the four Es, and so on.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 9, 2025 at 8:01 PM
7/10
The Blums´ CTM model has the advantage of being compatible with pretty much all the major theories of consciousness, like Global Workplace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, the four Es, and so on.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blums´ CTM model has the advantage of being compatible with pretty much all the major theories of consciousness, like Global Workplace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, the four Es, and so on.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
6/10
The Blums invented a multimodal language used by the brain called Brainish. The Brainish label for “rose” would consist of a certain smell, shape, colour, and texture.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blums invented a multimodal language used by the brain called Brainish. The Brainish label for “rose” would consist of a certain smell, shape, colour, and texture.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
6/10
The Blums invented a multimodal language used by the brain called Brainish. The Brainish label for “rose” would consist of a certain smell, shape, colour, and texture.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blums invented a multimodal language used by the brain called Brainish. The Brainish label for “rose” would consist of a certain smell, shape, colour, and texture.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
5/10
Lenore explains the CTM model with an analogy of a partygoer who cannot remember the name of someone she met before. The brain contains multiple processors which shout replies, and a winner emerges by consensus. There is no central executive.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore explains the CTM model with an analogy of a partygoer who cannot remember the name of someone she met before. The brain contains multiple processors which shout replies, and a winner emerges by consensus. There is no central executive.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
5/10
Lenore explains the CTM model with an analogy of a partygoer who cannot remember the name of someone she met before. The brain contains multiple processors which shout replies, and a winner emerges by consensus. There is no central executive.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore explains the CTM model with an analogy of a partygoer who cannot remember the name of someone she met before. The brain contains multiple processors which shout replies, and a winner emerges by consensus. There is no central executive.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
8/8
Tom now promulgates “Anglofuturism”, a memeplex offering an irreverent, optimistic view of what Britain might become. It advocates for thatched space stations and putting a Wetherspoons on the moon.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom now promulgates “Anglofuturism”, a memeplex offering an irreverent, optimistic view of what Britain might become. It advocates for thatched space stations and putting a Wetherspoons on the moon.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
8/8
Tom now promulgates “Anglofuturism”, a memeplex offering an irreverent, optimistic view of what Britain might become. It advocates for thatched space stations and putting a Wetherspoons on the moon.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom now promulgates “Anglofuturism”, a memeplex offering an irreverent, optimistic view of what Britain might become. It advocates for thatched space stations and putting a Wetherspoons on the moon.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
4/10
The Blum´s model of consciousness is the Conscious Turing Machine (CTM). It was inspired by Alan Turing’s model of computation, and Bernard Baars' Global Workspace Theory, although it is neither of those things itself.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blum´s model of consciousness is the Conscious Turing Machine (CTM). It was inspired by Alan Turing’s model of computation, and Bernard Baars' Global Workspace Theory, although it is neither of those things itself.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 6, 2025 at 8:02 PM
4/10
The Blum´s model of consciousness is the Conscious Turing Machine (CTM). It was inspired by Alan Turing’s model of computation, and Bernard Baars' Global Workspace Theory, although it is neither of those things itself.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
The Blum´s model of consciousness is the Conscious Turing Machine (CTM). It was inspired by Alan Turing’s model of computation, and Bernard Baars' Global Workspace Theory, although it is neither of those things itself.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
7/8
The Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in late 2023 was a high point of global anti-catastrophe league-style collaboration over AI safety. But follow-up summits have been more interested in developing AI capabilities than in pursuing AI safety.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
The Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in late 2023 was a high point of global anti-catastrophe league-style collaboration over AI safety. But follow-up summits have been more interested in developing AI capabilities than in pursuing AI safety.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 6, 2025 at 5:04 PM
7/8
The Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in late 2023 was a high point of global anti-catastrophe league-style collaboration over AI safety. But follow-up summits have been more interested in developing AI capabilities than in pursuing AI safety.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
The Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit in late 2023 was a high point of global anti-catastrophe league-style collaboration over AI safety. But follow-up summits have been more interested in developing AI capabilities than in pursuing AI safety.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
3/10
Lenore and Manuel started to work together on a mathematical approach to consciousness during Covid. After 60+ years of marriage, she says they loved being thrown together by the pandemic.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore and Manuel started to work together on a mathematical approach to consciousness during Covid. After 60+ years of marriage, she says they loved being thrown together by the pandemic.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 5, 2025 at 8:01 PM
3/10
Lenore and Manuel started to work together on a mathematical approach to consciousness during Covid. After 60+ years of marriage, she says they loved being thrown together by the pandemic.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore and Manuel started to work together on a mathematical approach to consciousness during Covid. After 60+ years of marriage, she says they loved being thrown together by the pandemic.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Scientists from the British government’s AI Security Institute, and experts at universities including Stanford, Berkeley and Oxford, find faults, often serious ones, in 445 benchmarks used to test LLMs.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Experts find flaws in hundreds of tests that check AI safety and effectiveness
Scientists say almost all have weaknesses in at least one area that can ‘undermine validity of resulting claims’
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Scientists from the British government’s AI Security Institute, and experts at universities including Stanford, Berkeley and Oxford, find faults, often serious ones, in 445 benchmarks used to test LLMs.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
"Are you a weed?" asked the AI. "Because you look like a weed. Unless you can prove you're not a weed in the next quarter-second, you are toast."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Harpenden group uses AI to spot weeds growing in farmers' fields
Rothamsted Research is using cameras on crop sprayers and artificial intelligence to detect black-grass.
www.bbc.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:03 PM
"Are you a weed?" asked the AI. "Because you look like a weed. Unless you can prove you're not a weed in the next quarter-second, you are toast."
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
6/8
The Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, led by Nick Bostrom, wasa great venue for members of the anti-catastrophe league. It was an uneasy fit with Oxford’s philosophy department, and after a couple of decades they managed to kill it.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
The Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, led by Nick Bostrom, wasa great venue for members of the anti-catastrophe league. It was an uneasy fit with Oxford’s philosophy department, and after a couple of decades they managed to kill it.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 5, 2025 at 5:02 PM
6/8
The Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, led by Nick Bostrom, wasa great venue for members of the anti-catastrophe league. It was an uneasy fit with Oxford’s philosophy department, and after a couple of decades they managed to kill it.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
The Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, led by Nick Bostrom, wasa great venue for members of the anti-catastrophe league. It was an uneasy fit with Oxford’s philosophy department, and after a couple of decades they managed to kill it.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
The EU has learned the lesson of Trump and is ramping up defence spend.
It hasn't yet absorbed the same lesson about AI.
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
It hasn't yet absorbed the same lesson about AI.
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Commission launches ‘Resource for AI Science in Europe\'
Today, at the European AI in Science Summit in Copenhagen, organised by the European Commission and the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen and…
ec.europa.eu
November 5, 2025 at 10:11 AM
The EU has learned the lesson of Trump and is ramping up defence spend.
It hasn't yet absorbed the same lesson about AI.
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
It hasn't yet absorbed the same lesson about AI.
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
2/10
Lenore´s track record in computer science is so deep that she took the world´s first ever university course in it. It was given by the first winner of the Turing Prize, Alan Perlis.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore´s track record in computer science is so deep that she took the world´s first ever university course in it. It was given by the first winner of the Turing Prize, Alan Perlis.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 4, 2025 at 8:01 PM
2/10
Lenore´s track record in computer science is so deep that she took the world´s first ever university course in it. It was given by the first winner of the Turing Prize, Alan Perlis.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Lenore´s track record in computer science is so deep that she took the world´s first ever university course in it. It was given by the first winner of the Turing Prize, Alan Perlis.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
5/8
Tom is unsure whether we are better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for Covid. But the antics of RFK Jr in the US, and the relentless trashing of health professionals by Populists everywhere have probably made our situation worse.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom is unsure whether we are better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for Covid. But the antics of RFK Jr in the US, and the relentless trashing of health professionals by Populists everywhere have probably made our situation worse.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
5/8
Tom is unsure whether we are better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for Covid. But the antics of RFK Jr in the US, and the relentless trashing of health professionals by Populists everywhere have probably made our situation worse.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom is unsure whether we are better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for Covid. But the antics of RFK Jr in the US, and the relentless trashing of health professionals by Populists everywhere have probably made our situation worse.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
1/10
Our latest guest is Lenore Blum, a storied mathematician with far more honours than will fit in one post, or even ten. She recently turned her attention to the problem of consciousness, which she works on with her partner Manuel and her son Avrim.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Our latest guest is Lenore Blum, a storied mathematician with far more honours than will fit in one post, or even ten. She recently turned her attention to the problem of consciousness, which she works on with her partner Manuel and her son Avrim.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
November 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
1/10
Our latest guest is Lenore Blum, a storied mathematician with far more honours than will fit in one post, or even ten. She recently turned her attention to the problem of consciousness, which she works on with her partner Manuel and her son Avrim.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
Our latest guest is Lenore Blum, a storied mathematician with far more honours than will fit in one post, or even ten. She recently turned her attention to the problem of consciousness, which she works on with her partner Manuel and her son Avrim.
www.prism-global.com/podcast/leno...
4/8
Tom describes Mirror Life, the inversion of the RNA of bacteria and viruses. This could create pathogens against which our bodies have no defence. Some scientists worry that its creation could have devastating impacts.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom describes Mirror Life, the inversion of the RNA of bacteria and viruses. This could create pathogens against which our bodies have no defence. Some scientists worry that its creation could have devastating impacts.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
4/8
Tom describes Mirror Life, the inversion of the RNA of bacteria and viruses. This could create pathogens against which our bodies have no defence. Some scientists worry that its creation could have devastating impacts.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom describes Mirror Life, the inversion of the RNA of bacteria and viruses. This could create pathogens against which our bodies have no defence. Some scientists worry that its creation could have devastating impacts.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
3/8
Bill McKibben recently published “Here Comes The Sun”, which inspires a digression about whether George Harrison was the best Beatle. According to Spotify, “Here Comes The Sun” is the most streamed of all Beatles songs.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Bill McKibben recently published “Here Comes The Sun”, which inspires a digression about whether George Harrison was the best Beatle. According to Spotify, “Here Comes The Sun” is the most streamed of all Beatles songs.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 2, 2025 at 5:01 PM
3/8
Bill McKibben recently published “Here Comes The Sun”, which inspires a digression about whether George Harrison was the best Beatle. According to Spotify, “Here Comes The Sun” is the most streamed of all Beatles songs.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Bill McKibben recently published “Here Comes The Sun”, which inspires a digression about whether George Harrison was the best Beatle. According to Spotify, “Here Comes The Sun” is the most streamed of all Beatles songs.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
5/5
Conscium’s and Solms’ work has prompted Wired’s Will Knight to think about his own consciousness in a new way. If emotion, not thinking is what makes us conscious, then maybe artificial consciousness is not far off.
www.wired.com/story/ai-sen...
Conscium’s and Solms’ work has prompted Wired’s Will Knight to think about his own consciousness in a new way. If emotion, not thinking is what makes us conscious, then maybe artificial consciousness is not far off.
www.wired.com/story/ai-sen...
AI’s Next Frontier? An Algorithm for Consciousness
Some of the world’s most interesting thinkers about thinking think they might’ve cracked machine sentience. And I think they might be onto something.
www.wired.com
November 1, 2025 at 7:01 PM
5/5
Conscium’s and Solms’ work has prompted Wired’s Will Knight to think about his own consciousness in a new way. If emotion, not thinking is what makes us conscious, then maybe artificial consciousness is not far off.
www.wired.com/story/ai-sen...
Conscium’s and Solms’ work has prompted Wired’s Will Knight to think about his own consciousness in a new way. If emotion, not thinking is what makes us conscious, then maybe artificial consciousness is not far off.
www.wired.com/story/ai-sen...
2/8
Tom thinks geothermal energy deserves more attention, since he thinks that solar energy will continue to struggle to provide baseline power. It involves drilling as deep as 20km, where it reaches the energy density of natural gas.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom thinks geothermal energy deserves more attention, since he thinks that solar energy will continue to struggle to provide baseline power. It involves drilling as deep as 20km, where it reaches the energy density of natural gas.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
November 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM
2/8
Tom thinks geothermal energy deserves more attention, since he thinks that solar energy will continue to struggle to provide baseline power. It involves drilling as deep as 20km, where it reaches the energy density of natural gas.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/
Tom thinks geothermal energy deserves more attention, since he thinks that solar energy will continue to struggle to provide baseline power. It involves drilling as deep as 20km, where it reaches the energy density of natural gas.
calumchace.com/podcast-feed/