Are AI models conscious? There are two opposed perspectives on AI consciousness. Computational functionalism says computational improvements will lead to conscious AI whereas biological naturalism says that biological aspects of animals are necessary for consciousness.

Ned Block, Silver Professor of Philosophy at New York University, will discuss these differing points of view on AI consciousness on Thursday, October 15 at 4 p.m. in the Roselle Center for the Arts’s Gore Recital Hall. 

Block’s lecture, “Are AI Models Conscious?” is the Fall 2026 installment of the Department of Philosophy’s David Norton Memorial Lecture. This year's event is a collaboration between the University of Delaware's Department of Philosophy and the Department of Cognitive Science and Linguistics.

This event is free and open to the public. Reception to follow.

This lecture is sponsored by the David Norton Memorial Fund honoring the late UD Philosophy Professor. Visit the Norton Memorial Lecture webpage to learn more about previous speakers and lectures.