Description

Moran Cerf is Academic Director in Executive Education and Adjunct Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. In his acclaimed research Prof. Cerf studies patients undergoing brain-surgery by recording the activity of individual nerve cells using electrodes implanted in the patient's brain. Using this method, Prof. Cerf addresses questions such as: "How are conscious percepts formed in our brain?", "How can we control our emotions?" and “How can we make content that is engaging for the brain?" Cerf has published papers in academic journals such as Nature and the Journal of Neuroscience, as well as popular science journals such as Scientific American Mind, Wired, New Scientist and more. He has published several books, including the recent: "Brain Imaging: An Illustrated Guide to the Future of Neuroscience”, and his research has been portrayed in numerous media and cultural outlets such as CNN, BBC, Bloomberg, NPR, Time, MSNBC, Netflix Explained, PBS Nova, and dozens of others. He has been featured in venues such as the Venice Art Biennial and China's Art, Science and Technology association, and has contributed to magazines such as Forbes, The Atlantic, Inc., and others. He has made much of his research accessible to the public via his public talks at PopTech, TED, TEDx ("most TEDx talks worldwide”, with 13 TED/TEDx talks), Google Zeitgeist, DLD, etc., gathering millions of views and a large following. Prior to his academic career, Prof. Cerf spent nearly a decade in industry, holding positions in cyber-security (as a hacker), pharmaceutical, telecom, fashion, software development, and innovations research. Currently, he is on the board of a number of neuro-tech companies (Nervanix, X-Trodes, BestFit) and the Co-founder of ThinkAlike. He is also the founder of the non-profit B-Cube which uses neuroscience to help society. He consulted to companies such as Ferrari, Viacom, TransUnion, Nielsen, Founders Pledge, and the U.S. Government. In line with his research on engagement, Prof. Cerf is a 4 times U.S. National story-telling champion (at the 'Moth' story-telling competition) and a regular consultant to Hollywood films and TV shows (CBS' “Bull”, “Limitless”; USA Network's “Falling Water”, and more). Cerf is also the Alfred P. Sloan professor at the American Film Institute (AFI), where he teaches an annual screenwriting class. Most importantly, he is left handed.

Abstract

Many experiments, talks, books, and academic papers contain the term “consciousness” in their title. But as we come to learn about a “theory of consciousness”, an “empirical study of consciousness”, or an “explanation to consciousness” we are typically left wanting. Seemingly, most conversations about consciousness do not end up answering material questions about the phenomenon. Indeed, those conversations about consciousness often either repeat the questions in different words (i.e., redefining terms but not providing solutions), answer different/adjacent question (i.e., about attention or awareness), or pivot to philosophical musings about the topic without providing a concrete answer.

In this talk I will: 1) discuss an empirical work that actually looks at consciousness and touches on the way by which it is manifested in the human brain, 2) ruminate on how the results of this experiment (and recent similar works) pave a road to the potential building of consciousness in machines.

I will conclude by sharing insights on recent exchanges with leaders (namely, in the government and in the tech world) that, I believe, establish a trajectory towards a more seamless interface between advanced technology and human performance in the coming era of Artificial Intelligence.

This lecture will take place at 3:30 pm in Psychology 1312 on the UCSB campus and is free and open to the public. This lecture will also be followed with refreshments and a post-lecture discussion.