From Quanta to Qualia: When Fundamental Physics Meets Engineering

The day opened with a presentation by David Chartrand, an entrepreneur whose technological ambitions have led him toward foundational questions. 

For him, the rapid progress of artificial intelligence is making the scientific problem of consciousness increasingly urgent: as AI systems become more capable, what, if anything, distinguishes sophisticated information processing from subjective experience?

His perspective illustrated the dialogue between technology and fundamental research at the heart of the event.

The first session explored one of science’s great mysteries: how can we understand subjective experience and consciousness

The discussion examined the challenge of explaining subjective experience scientifically, including whether today’s language models could plausibly have conscious experiences and whether mathematics can place limits on possible theories of consciousness.

After the break, the discussion shifted to quanta, with a session devoted to the foundations of quantum theory. 

At its centre was the measurement problem: the apparent tension between the continuous quantum evolution described by the theory and the very different change traditionally associated with measurement.

The round table then explored several contemporary attempts to rethink the foundations of the theory, from relational descriptions of physical systems to stochastic approaches with memory, and proposals connecting fundamental physics more directly with experience.

The final major discussion of the day, Quantum Today, turned to issues more directly related to the present and future of quantum technologies.

The discussion traced the path from foundational ideas to practical quantum technologies. 

It revisited the unlikely origins of quantum cryptography, and the importance of supporting fundamental research whose applications may only become apparent much later, explored the still poorly understood boundary between classical and quantum computation, and examined modern extensions of Bell’s theorem and Wigner’s-friend thought experiments that continue to test what quantum theory allows us to say about physical reality.

The panel was moderated by George Musser, science journalist and contributing editor at Scientific American.