How to Give A.I. a Pinch of Consciousness

A.I. researchers are turning to neuroscience to build smarter, more powerful neural networks

Engineered Arts prosthetic expert Mike Humphrey checks on Fred, a recently completed Mesmer robot that was built at the company’s headquarters in Penryn on May 9, 2018, in Cornwall, England. Photo: Matt Cardy/Stringer/Getty Images

In 1998, an engineer in Sony’s computer science lab in Japan filmed a lost-looking robot moving trepidatiously around an enclosure. The robot was tasked with two objectives: avoid obstacles and find objects in the pen. It was able to do so…