What makes a mass of cells come together to think, do and become self-aware?

As AI capabilities surge forward, we stand on the brink of new understanding. How do intelligence and consciousness arise? How are emotions and feelings generated? How do our brains adapt to technological evolution?

Imagine a future where our brains are augmented through cognitive advancements. Imagine the seamless integration of organic and digital networks through cutting-edge technologies. This fusion holds the key to unprecedented enhancements in human capabilities: faster information processing, enhanced memory and novel modes of cognition. 

Beyond these advancements lie fundamental questions that captivate scientists and philosophers alike. What is consciousness? How does it originate? Can machines or robots be conscious? How does agency manifest in physical systems? How do atoms organise into structures capable of thought and emotion? The intersection of these inquiries with technologies like DishBrain and brain organoids will revolutionise fields from neuroscience and psychology to artificial intelligence and philosophy.

Join us this National Science Week for a journey into a future that is coming sooner than you think. The University of Sydney's AI expert Sandra Peter will talk to esteemed experts including renowned quantum physicist and cosmologist Paul Davies AM, cognitive scientist Inês Hipólito and neuroscientist Brett Kagan.

Has the time come to fundamentally re-think the relationship between mind and matter?

Presented by Sydney Opera House, Big Questions Institute and the University of Sydney.