Artificial Intelligence is changing faster than most people realize, but are we asking the wrong questions about AI, AGI, consciousness, and the future of society? In this episode, cognitive scientist and AI researcher Joscha Bach joins us for a thought-provoking conversation on artificial intelligence, machine consciousness, large language models (LLMs), AGI, human intelligence, and the future of work. Joscha explains why intelligence is fundamentally about model-building, why consciousness may be a biological training algorithm, and what current AI systems are still missing. The conversation goes far beyond technology, tapping into innovation, capitalism, regulation, scientific progress, institutional trust, democracy, media narratives, AI safety, employment disruption, economic incentives, and the future of human civilization. Joscha shares his perspective on AI doom scenarios, why he believes many fears around artificial intelligence are overstated, and how AI could ultimately empower individuals rather than replace them. This episode offers a different look into artificial intelligence, human progress, and what comes next. Like and follow for weekly episodes. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:04 AI doom scenarios & humanity's future 02:00 Defining intelligence & consciousness 05:00 Why AI intelligence is different from human intelligence 06:52 Are LLMs actually intelligent? 08:10 Why AI hallucinates 10:09 Human learning vs machine learning 11:22 Can transformers lead to agi? 12:28 The scaling hypothesis explained 13:58 Mechanistic interpretability & neural networks 15:13 Can AI surpass human understanding? 18:42 AI and the future of scientific discovery 20:14 Why scientific progress feels slower today 22:03 Institutions, incentives & organizational decline 25:05 Trust in government and society 28:31 Can AI improve democracy? 30:40 Why AI gets such negative media coverage 33:03 The AI extinction debate 36:30 AI, automation & the future of jobs 40:05 Big Tech, AI power & capitalism 41:15 Money, markets & resource allocation 46:28 Regulation, innovation & economic growth 49:13 Why innovation is slowing down 51:08 Is Big Tech starving other industries? 54:39 Is there an AI bubble? 57:30 Could the financial system be rebooted? 01:00:17 Cryptocurrency, regulation & economic stability 01:08:27 Regulation, governance & innovation 01:10:33 Lessons from Berlin's innovation culture 01:16:08 AI, surveillance & centralized power 01:18:07 Decentralized AI and individual empowerment 01:20:05 AI, healthcare & professional expertise 01:23:36 Control, society & human responsibility 01:25:00 Advice for leaders and innovators 01:26:03 Escaping filter bubbles Connect with Joscha Bach: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joschabach X: https://x.com/Plinz Our links: Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG