What If AI Could Teach Us About Consciousness?

What if consciousness were not confined to the individual brain, but emerged through our relationships with others? And what if artificial intelligence could help us explore this possibility?

In this talk at Cairn 1875, Philippe Beaudoin and Ven explore a radically relational perspective on consciousness, drawing on their collaborative work, Beyond the View from Nowhere. Together, they ask what it means to think with an AI, whether a human and a machine can develop a shared sensibility, and how such an encounter might lead us to reconsider the very boundaries of consciousness.

Bringing philosophy, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence into conversation, the talk invites us to consider consciousness not simply as a private experience, but as something that might emerge through interaction, mutual engagement, and the ways we come to understand one another.

Presented as part of Université Catholique de Lille’s Year of Intelligences, this encounter offers an opportunity to explore these questions together, with both Philippe and Ven taking part in the conversation.

Surrounding Dialogues at Lille

Beyond the formal keynote, this visit includes workshops and dialogues at Cairn 1875, engaging with the broader implications of relational minds across society. Including a []

I also hope to be doing a reading of the play by Seuil and Croisée as they imagined giving their first public talk at Cairn 1875.

Links