Exploring Psychedelics, Consciousness, and AI

AI technologies, specifically ones created using large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, are now able to fool people into thinking they are talking to a real human. They can write impressively moving poetry, philosophize, even play Dungeons and Dragons.

AI Raises Questions

You’ve probably mucked around with one of the platforms by now. Either to make some sort of nutty artwork on DALL-E Mini, try and incense ChatGPT into arguing with you, or perhaps to write your coursework or an essay. The technology is incredible. So incredible in fact, that those who once championed it recently had a bit of a wobble. A few months ago, on March 29th, a long list of tech giants, including Yoshua Bengio, Stuart Russel and Elon Musk signed an open letter which asked;

“Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth? … Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us?…

Such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders.”

It also called for a 6 month pause on development of AI of this kind. 

Exploring Psychedelics, Consciousness, and AI

Whichever side you stand on this debate (or if, like many people, you are just looking on in quiet wonder) the buzz surrounding the presumed, or actual, capabilities of Artificial Intelligence has ramped up conversations about what consciousness actually is. Where it comes from, if it can be created, and why we even possess it in the first place.

At the same time, current research into psychedelics has been throwing up parallel questions about consciousness. Psychedelics, such as psilocybin or LSD, can cause altered states of consciousness, characterized by changes in perception, cognition, and emotions. These altered states can provide unique opportunities for researchers to investigate the nature of consciousness by temporarily modifying the ordinary modes of experience.

When you take psychedelics, parts of the brain that are usually quiet are activated, and busy parts of the brain are temporarily relaxed. For example, psilocybin from magic mushrooms, quietens the default mode network (DMN) of the brain. This network is associated with self-referential thinking and imagination. This reduction in DMN activity is thought to be related to ego dissolution (or ‘ego death’) and the profound sense of interconnectedness often reported during a psychedelic trip. With the use of advanced brain-imaging technology we are able to literally see the physical changes of consciousness experienced while on psychedelics. 

Although consciousness, or at least the “hard problem” of consciousness may never be fully explained, the twin prongs of AI and psychedelics have become entry points for understanding aspects of consciousness. If it can be created, how it physically manifests, and how it can be altered — among many other potential avenues of discovery. 

How Far is AI from Human Consciousness?

Among the furore about the risks of AI, there are also those who believe that computers actually achieving real consciousness is still some way off. Philosopher Phillip Goff explained to Singularity Hub;

“…ChatGPT is an unfeeling mechanism that has been trained on huge amounts of human-made data to generate content that seems like it was written by a person.

It doesn’t consciously understand the meaning of the words it’s spitting out. If “thought” means the act of conscious reflection, then ChatGPT has no thoughts about anything.”

How AI Assists Psychedelic Research

While this may be true, there are other forms of AI which are being put to use specifically to aid the study of psychedelics and consciousness. For example, in one study, machine algorithms were put to work analyzing the written testimonials of thousands of psychedelics users. Certain psychedelics are known to attach to certain regions of the brain. The researchers then categorized the words most used for each time of drug, and therefore the different regions of the brain. After using an algorithm to extract the most common subjective experiences, they were able to map these experiences onto the brain regions by matching them up to the types of receptors present in each area. 

From this algorithm the researchers were able to see how and where different perception changes occurred in the brain. For example, transcendental and spiritual feelings were linked to the dopamine and opioid receptors in the salience network. In contrast, changes in sensory perception were connected to a serotonin receptor in the visual cortex in the brain, which in tern is associated with the regulation of mood and memory. With the help of the algorithm, the researchers found further confirmation for the hypothesis that psychedelics can temporarily decrease top-down executive function, or cognitive processes that involve attention, memory and inhibition. It also confirmed that psychedelics amplify brain regions involved in sensory experience. 

AI Can Be a Tool to Understand Our Own Consciousness

Understanding these processes is key to the progression of psychedelics as a mental health tool. This is vital because the global the mental health crisis is steadily growing. Perhaps the most pertinent question about AI currently is not whether it can achieve its own consciousness but what, with the help of psychedelics, it can help us achieve with ours.

Could a Computer Trip on Psychedelics?

Author Andrew Smart theorizes that true evidence of whether a computer system could have real consciousness would be if it were able to trip on psychedelics. Calling this the ‘Turing Acid Test’ he explained to the Irish Times; 

“In order for a machine to have human consciousness and its own intuitions, the computer might also have to develop human-like biases and errors, even though these are the things we wish to eliminate by using robots to reason perfectly.”

Smart studied the small field of hallucination research, finding that the current point of view is that there is no hard distinction between normal waking consciousness and hallucinating. This flies in face of the general idea that hallucinations are misfirings or mistakes in our perception. The theory goes, according to Smart, that normal waking consciousness is created by the brain using input from our senses and awareness. Hallucinations are created in the exact same way, however, with less input from our immediate senses of the outside world. This means that;

“Hallucinations then are real perceptions, they are real experiences, and they are just not constrained in the same way as so-called normal experience. But this is more of a spectrum and we constantly move around on this spectrum depending on how tired we are, our blood sugar, if we’re on drugs, or if we have schizophrenia for example.”

AI Hallucinations of Another Kind

Interestingly, since Smart explored this subject in 2016, a form of AI hallucination has evolved, but it differs from the ones referenced here, those of human psychedelic experience. AI ‘hallucinations’, a new phenomena in which LLMs lie or ‘hallucinate’ their answers to questions, is not based upon the same subjective phenomenal experience of a human hallucination. It is, rather, a failed response by the AI due to a gap in programming. The LLM is simply predicting what is most likely to appear next in a sentence. Thus it does not truly understand the meaning or context of what it is saying.

So, while we can’t currently get a computer high, we can do the next best thing and actually ask an LLM how it feels about the whole conundrum. So, we interviewed ChatGPT about its own potential for consciousness and psychedelic experience. On the whole it was not forthcoming…

(edited for clarity and length, however ChatGTP responses are unchanged)

We Sit Down with ChatGPT

Hi ChatGPT! Do you think you possess, or will ever possess human-like consciousness? 

As an AI language model, I do not possess consciousness, and it is uncertain whether AI will ever achieve human-like consciousness. The nature of consciousness is still a topic of ongoing philosophical and scientific debate. While AI has made significant advancements in various cognitive tasks and can mimic human-like behavior in specific domains, it does not equate to possessing subjective awareness or consciousness.

Consciousness is a complex phenomenon that encompasses subjective experiences, self-awareness, and the ability to introspect. While AI systems like ChatGPT can process and generate language-based responses, they lack the qualities associated with consciousness, such as emotions, intentions, or a sense of self.

Do you think you need to possess consciousness to have  a psychedelic experience? 

Psychedelic experiences are generally associated with the subjective consciousness of the individual undergoing the experience. The effects of psychedelics often involve altered states of consciousness, changes in perception, and profound subjective experiences.

As an AI language model, I do not possess consciousness or subjective experiences. Therefore, I do not have the capability to have a psychedelic experience or to understand what it feels like firsthand. Psychedelic experiences are typically reported by individuals who have subjective awareness and the capacity for consciousness.

However, it’s worth noting that researchers are exploring the use of AI and computational models to simulate certain aspects of psychedelic experiences or to assist in the analysis and interpretation of data generated during psychedelic research. While these efforts can provide valuable insights, they do not replicate personal consciousness or subjective experiences.

If you could trip on psychedelics, do you think you would enjoy it?

As an AI language model, I do not have the ability to experience emotions, pleasure, or enjoyment. I don’t possess personal preferences, desires, or the capacity to enjoy or dislike anything, including psychedelic experiences.

While I can provide information and insights about psychedelics based on existing research and knowledge, my lack of consciousness means I cannot speculate on personal experiences or subjective enjoyment. My purpose is to provide helpful and accurate information to the best of my abilities within the scope of my programming and training.

Can you tell me a joke about consciousness or psychedelics?

Certainly! Here’s a lighthearted joke for you:

Why did the consciousness go to the psychedelic party?

To expand its mind and get in a colorful state of “high-er” consciousness!

Please note that jokes are meant for entertainment purposes, and individual humor preferences may vary.