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Identifying indicators of consciousness in AI systems
Get PDFRapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities has drawn fresh attention to the prospect of consciousness in AI. There is an urgent need for rigorous methods to assess AI systems for consciousness, but significant uncertainty about relevant issues in consciousness science. We present a method for assessing AI systems for consciousness that involves exploring what follows from existing or future neuroscientific theories of consciousness. Indicators derived from such theories can be used to inform credences about whether particular AI systems are conscious. This method allows us to make meaningful progress because some influential theories of consciousness, notably including computational functionalist theories, have implications for AI that can be investigated empirically
The role of time and enjoyment in consumers’ goal progress perceptions
No full textConsumers must invest time to make progress on a goal. Yet across nine studies (seven preregistered), including a supplemental study and post-test, consumers relied more on an activity’s enjoyment than on perceived or actual time investment when judging goal progress. This effect arises because consumers hold two lay theories about progress: a time-progress lay theory and an enjoyment-progress one. Consumers rely more on the latter, in part because enjoyment is easier to evaluate and more attention-grabbing than time. For example, gym-goers believed they made more progress and burned more calories when exercise was more (vs. less) enjoyable, than when it felt longer (vs. shorter); similarly, increasing enjoyment of a skill-building task increased perceived skill development more than increasing task duration. These lay theories affect choice: consumers preferred a shorter, more enjoyable activity, unless the time-progress lay theory was activated and/or the diagnosticity of the enjoyment-progress lay theory was challenged
Finding stars: mapping the geography of the world’s scientific elites
Get PDFThis paper presents the first systematic city‐level mapping of global scientific talent, analysing the top 200,000 star scientists across 3635 cities worldwide annually between 2019 and 2023. We use a novel Knowledge Generation Index (KGI) that combines researcher quantity with research impact to reveal extreme spatial concentration in knowledge production. Just four cities—New York, Boston, London and the San Francisco Bay Area—host 12% of the world's star scientists, while much of the Global South remains virtually excluded from frontier research. Beijing's ascent into the global top 10 represents a rare challenge to established hierarchies. Our analysis uncovers striking disciplinary variations. Resource‐intensive fields like clinical medicine cluster heavily, and traditionally dispersed disciplines are increasingly gravitating towards major hubs. Despite these differences, concentration is intensifying across most scientific fields. Even the pandemic's remote collaboration experiment failed to level the playing field. Established innovation centres continued strengthening their advantages while peripheral regions fell further behind. Overall, we find that geography remains destiny, with profound implications for innovation policy confronting widening spatial inequalities in global scientific capacity
The case against high-concentration CO2 stunning and killing of pigs
No full textThe report sets out a compelling case that the current practice used on an estimated 90% of pigs slaughtered in England and Wales is inhumane and morally unacceptable. The practice causes pigs extreme pain, breathlessness, panic, and distress for up to 60 seconds before loss of consciousness
What can we learn from the literature? Perspective of a veterinary specialist in animal welfare science, ethics, and law
No full textNarratives of legitimacy in carbon forestry: a political ecology perspective
No full textForests are central to climate change mitigation, driving a surge in afforestation, reforestation, and averted deforestation projects. Involving a range of actors, these initiatives reflect the rising influence of non-state entities in forest governance. Although often presented as delivering economic, environmental, and social benefits, carbon forestry projects frequently overlook local land rights, leading to displacement and disrupted livelihoods. This study uses discourse analysis of project-related documentation to examine how such initiatives are legitimized across three country cases, despite their adverse impacts on Indigenous and local communities. It reveals how dominant narratives obscure socio-economic tradeoffs and frame environmental and social goals as inherently aligned–when in practice, they often conflict. The paper argues that structural features of the carbon offset market constrain the potential for just outcomes, contributing to broader debates on climate justice and the need to re-centre environmental governance around the rights and voices of affected communities
Rohingya women's knowledge and perceptions about pregnancy termination in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh: a community-based study
Get PDFThe displaced Rohingya population residing in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, must navigate their reproductive lives in this fragile context. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes and use of menstrual regulation/pregnancy termination services in four displaced persons' camps to understand women’s engagement with these services and barriers to safe services using Bandura’s social cognitive theory. We conducted a household, community-based survey with women of reproductive age in 2022 (n = 1173). Ninety-two percent of respondents knew that health facilities provide pregnancy terminations, yet knowledge about when access is permissible is incomplete. Only one-third knew that this service could be provided 11−12 weeks after last menstrual period, with most respondents believing that the cutoff was earlier. The respondents believed that menstrual regulation was provided only under certain conditions, and 99% stated that a husband’s consent should be required for a woman to end a pregnancy (always or sometimes). One in five respondents (n = 223) knew someone who had ended a pregnancy since arriving in the camps. While knowledge about and support for pregnancy termination services are high, there is room for improvement in education about the conditions under which it can be accessed. The results fill a knowledge gap regarding the acceptability and use of pregnancy termination in the Bangladesh camps of displaced Rohingya
Coping strategies among poverty-affected adolescents experiencing or at risk of depression and anxiety in Nepal: a qualitative study
Get PDFIntroduction: Adolescents employ various coping strategies to manage stress, which can impact their short and long-term mental health. Economically disadvantaged adolescents are more prone to developing maladaptive coping mechanisms due to the persistent stressors associated with poverty. In Nepal, there is a lack of research on how adolescents experiencing or at risk of depression and anxiety cope with adverse situations. This study aims to explore how adolescents affected by poverty and at risk of experiencing mental health problems navigate difficulties within their homes, peer groups, and school environments. Methods: The study focused on adolescents aged 11 to 19 residing in informal squatter settlements in Kathmandu, Nepal. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 30 adolescents experiencing or at risk of depression and/or anxiety. In addition, journal entries documenting their experiences were collected weekly for 3–5 weeks post-interviews. Thematic and plot analysis were employed to identify the coping strategies utilised by adolescents in this context, which were then categorised according to coping theory. Results: The results indicated that adolescents employed a combination of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies across different settings (home, school, and peer interactions), with variation in coping strategies used within each setting. Problem solving emerged as the most prevalent coping strategy across all settings. Adolescents tended to exhibit more submission and helplessness at home, more isolation and opposition among peers, and more accommodation and opposition at school. Adolescents aged 14–16 displayed more maladaptive coping strategies compared to younger (11 to 13 years) and older adolescents (17 to 19 years). While girls and boys utilised similar adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies, girls leaned more towards avoidance-escape and helplessness, whereas boys favoured opposition and isolation. Conclusion: The results highlight the range of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies used by adolescents to manage stress in circumstances of urban poverty in Nepal. The study recommends focused psychological interventions which equip adolescents with adaptive coping strategies and stress appraisal techniques that help them manage difficulties effectively