Jaan Aru
@jaanaru.bsky.social
Raising two kids, co-PI-lot of the Natural and Artificial Intelligence Lab & trying to do some funky research on the intersection of neuroscience, psychology and AI. Estonian
nail.cs.ut.ee
https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=FvFOzS8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=a
nail.cs.ut.ee
https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=FvFOzS8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=a
Thank you very much for remembering and noting my work! :)
September 22, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Thank you very much for remembering and noting my work! :)
Awesome! You might also like our new paper:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Comparing a computational model of visual problem solving with human vision on a difficult vision task
Human vision is not merely a passive process of interpreting sensory input but can also function as a problem-solving process incorporating generative mechanisms to interpret ambiguous or noisy data. ...
www.biorxiv.org
August 27, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Awesome! You might also like our new paper:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Thank you! this doesn’t mean that psychedelics don’t have any effects mediated by membrane receptors in L5p neurons — they probably do, and several. But regarding the reduction of excitatory currents and the emergence of late eEPSCs the intracellular receptors might be crucial
July 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Thank you! this doesn’t mean that psychedelics don’t have any effects mediated by membrane receptors in L5p neurons — they probably do, and several. But regarding the reduction of excitatory currents and the emergence of late eEPSCs the intracellular receptors might be crucial
Thank you! I'm happy if our review is useful.
July 12, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Thank you! I'm happy if our review is useful.
It could be interesting for @alexkwan.bsky.social @existwell.bsky.social @nichols-lab.bsky.social
@mayoonthebrain.bsky.social
@parkersingleton.bsky.social @manojdoss.bsky.social @katenautiyal.bsky.social @robincarhartharris.bsky.social @fredbarrettphd.bsky.social
@mayoonthebrain.bsky.social
@parkersingleton.bsky.social @manojdoss.bsky.social @katenautiyal.bsky.social @robincarhartharris.bsky.social @fredbarrettphd.bsky.social
July 11, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Looks great! There was also this stupid paper but feel free to ignore it: www.cell.com/trends/neuro...
The feasibility of artificial consciousness through the lens of neuroscience
Interactions with large language models (LLMs) have led to the suggestion that these
models may soon be conscious. From the perspective of neuroscience, this position
is difficult to defend. For one, ...
www.cell.com
July 1, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Looks great! There was also this stupid paper but feel free to ignore it: www.cell.com/trends/neuro...
Thanks! Indeed, there are many further possibilities. Let's keep on exploring them!
June 28, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Thanks! Indeed, there are many further possibilities. Let's keep on exploring them!
🙏 I would have stopped working on this a long time ago if there weren't people like you
June 28, 2025 at 4:39 AM
🙏 I would have stopped working on this a long time ago if there weren't people like you
I'm making some further points in the chapter but probably only three of my best friends are reading this post down here in the thread (and I might lose one of them if I continue) so I just stop here.
🙏 if you got this far.
Sometimes I really hate working on consciousness
🙏 if you got this far.
Sometimes I really hate working on consciousness
June 27, 2025 at 12:11 PM
I'm making some further points in the chapter but probably only three of my best friends are reading this post down here in the thread (and I might lose one of them if I continue) so I just stop here.
🙏 if you got this far.
Sometimes I really hate working on consciousness
🙏 if you got this far.
Sometimes I really hate working on consciousness
This doesn't mean that one cannot capture consciousness computationally at all but we might be really far from understanding these specific computations. The potential space of biological computations is completely unknown to us.
The stupid figure comes from www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The stupid figure comes from www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
June 27, 2025 at 12:07 PM
This doesn't mean that one cannot capture consciousness computationally at all but we might be really far from understanding these specific computations. The potential space of biological computations is completely unknown to us.
The stupid figure comes from www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The stupid figure comes from www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
As I claim in the chapter, matter matters for the mind. I think the physical brainy stuff matters for the computations. You cannot simply abstract all these details away. The physical properties significantly constrain what types of computations can be run on them. Part of computations is physical.
June 27, 2025 at 12:02 PM
As I claim in the chapter, matter matters for the mind. I think the physical brainy stuff matters for the computations. You cannot simply abstract all these details away. The physical properties significantly constrain what types of computations can be run on them. Part of computations is physical.
Third, the most problematic assumption is that we are closing in on the computations of consciousness
The Butlin paper really broke my heart because the key assumption of this paper is that our theories are close to figuring it out. I'm not so sure. We might be really far
arxiv.org/abs/2308.08708
The Butlin paper really broke my heart because the key assumption of this paper is that our theories are close to figuring it out. I'm not so sure. We might be really far
arxiv.org/abs/2308.08708
Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness
Whether current or near-term AI systems could be conscious is a topic of scientific interest and increasing public concern. This report argues for, and exemplifies, a rigorous and empirically grounded...
arxiv.org
June 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Third, the most problematic assumption is that we are closing in on the computations of consciousness
The Butlin paper really broke my heart because the key assumption of this paper is that our theories are close to figuring it out. I'm not so sure. We might be really far
arxiv.org/abs/2308.08708
The Butlin paper really broke my heart because the key assumption of this paper is that our theories are close to figuring it out. I'm not so sure. We might be really far
arxiv.org/abs/2308.08708
There is an (implicit) assumption that probably consciousness corresponds to some type of pattern of spiking (the details might be different according to GNWT, RPT and other theories)
But this might be just a historical artifact not a real thing. Spikes might not be the currency of consciousness.
But this might be just a historical artifact not a real thing. Spikes might not be the currency of consciousness.
June 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
There is an (implicit) assumption that probably consciousness corresponds to some type of pattern of spiking (the details might be different according to GNWT, RPT and other theories)
But this might be just a historical artifact not a real thing. Spikes might not be the currency of consciousness.
But this might be just a historical artifact not a real thing. Spikes might not be the currency of consciousness.
Second, I think our "progress" with respect to understanding the neural correlates of consciousness has been relatively pathetic. Our own theory sucks but it is clearly the best recent theory coming from neurobiology. We must do better! We can do better 💪
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
Cellular Mechanisms of Conscious Processing
Recent breakthroughs in neurobiology indicate that the time is ripe to understand
how cellular-level mechanisms are related to conscious experience. Here, we highlight
the biophysical properties of py...
www.cell.com
June 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Second, I think our "progress" with respect to understanding the neural correlates of consciousness has been relatively pathetic. Our own theory sucks but it is clearly the best recent theory coming from neurobiology. We must do better! We can do better 💪
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
First, I acknowledge that consciousness research has made progress but to me that progress has come with constraints: successful theories constrain further progress. What if these theories are not close to figuring out consciousness? Our field was intellectually more fluid 20 years ago. #consci
June 27, 2025 at 11:48 AM
First, I acknowledge that consciousness research has made progress but to me that progress has come with constraints: successful theories constrain further progress. What if these theories are not close to figuring out consciousness? Our field was intellectually more fluid 20 years ago. #consci
oh no, these damn humans! 🙂In the first experiments, we explicitly mentioned not to use any external help, but in this second set, which you now played, we didn't explicitly say this, so it is indeed possible that some humans did it. From debriefing we know that many still modeled it in their mind.
May 27, 2025 at 4:31 PM
oh no, these damn humans! 🙂In the first experiments, we explicitly mentioned not to use any external help, but in this second set, which you now played, we didn't explicitly say this, so it is indeed possible that some humans did it. From debriefing we know that many still modeled it in their mind.
Of course, OpenAI updates their models. Our o3 experiments were done in January, so that would be my first guess. We're happy to check this in a systematic fashion in 10 days.
May 27, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Of course, OpenAI updates their models. Our o3 experiments were done in January, so that would be my first guess. We're happy to check this in a systematic fashion in 10 days.