Episode
#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
1:29:29
Published: Thu May 28 2020
Description
Karl Friston is one of the greatest neuroscientists in history, cited over 245,000 times, known for many influential ideas in brain imaging, neuroscience, and theoretical neurobiology, including the fascinating idea of the free-energy principle for action and perception. Support this podcast by signing up with these sponsors: – Cash App – use code "LexPodcast" and download: – Cash App (App Store): https://apple.co/2sPrUHe – Cash App (Google Play): https://bit.ly/2MlvP5w EPISODE LINKS: Karl's Website: https://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/~karl/ Karl's Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_J._Friston This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon. Here's the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. OUTLINE: 00:00 - Introduction 01:50 - How much of the human brain do we understand? 05:53 - Most beautiful characteristic of the human brain 10:43 - Brain imaging 20:38 - Deep structure 21:23 - History of brain imaging 32:31 - Neuralink and brain-computer interfaces 43:05 - Free energy principle 1:24:29 - Meaning of life
Chapters
Neuroscientist Carl Friston discusses his influential ideas in brain imaging, neuroscience, and theoretical neurobiology, including the fascinating idea of the free energy principle for action and perception.
00:00 - 01:30 (01:30)
Summary
Neuroscientist Carl Friston discusses his influential ideas in brain imaging, neuroscience, and theoretical neurobiology, including the fascinating idea of the free energy principle for action and perception.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The advancements in brain mapping techniques offer an opportunity to study the brain at the level of a few millimeters, providing insights into generic principles of canonical microcircuitry, helping to understand message passing in the brain, and the dynamics of neuronal population underwriting brain function.
01:30 - 08:39 (07:09)
Summary
The advancements in brain mapping techniques offer an opportunity to study the brain at the level of a few millimeters, providing insights into generic principles of canonical microcircuitry, helping to understand message passing in the brain, and the dynamics of neuronal population underwriting brain function. However, achieving perfect imaging or a detailed map of the brain does not necessarily bring us closer to understanding the brain or the mind.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast explores the complexities of understanding brain activity and the hypothesis of functional segregation through the use of brain imaging and neuropsychology.
08:39 - 17:28 (08:49)
Summary
This podcast explores the complexities of understanding brain activity and the hypothesis of functional segregation through the use of brain imaging and neuropsychology.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The brain is a functionally specialized organ, with different regions of the brain responsible for different tasks.
17:28 - 27:04 (09:36)
Summary
The brain is a functionally specialized organ, with different regions of the brain responsible for different tasks. With the use of brain scanners, it has been possible to observe these specialized responses and locate them in specific regions of the brain.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast discusses the challenges of brain computer interfacing and the potential future technology of having direct contact with the brain to measure signals and understand brain functionality.
27:04 - 42:30 (15:25)
Summary
This podcast discusses the challenges of brain computer interfacing and the potential future technology of having direct contact with the brain to measure signals and understand brain functionality. The goal is to be able to understand the brain better through communication both ways, but there are many obstacles to overcome in this field.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The free energy principle suggests that if something exists, it must mathematically optimize a particular quantity, as seen in the properties exhibited by an oil drop that must preserve its boundary.
42:29 - 57:03 (14:33)
Summary
The free energy principle suggests that if something exists, it must mathematically optimize a particular quantity, as seen in the properties exhibited by an oil drop that must preserve its boundary. This principle can be interpreted as turning the probability of existing into evidence of existence, seen in the configuration of macromolecules in computational chemistry.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
This podcast dives into the different types of states that exist within a universe and how they interact with each other in terms of probability and movement using the metaphor of a single-celled organism.
57:03 - 1:04:43 (07:39)
Summary
This podcast dives into the different types of states that exist within a universe and how they interact with each other in terms of probability and movement using the metaphor of a single-celled organism.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
David Krakauer discusses how viruses maintain their agency through selective host and cell targeting and autonomous behavior, while also exploring the idea of consciousness in relation to the act of decision-making.
1:04:43 - 1:16:14 (11:30)
Summary
David Krakauer discusses how viruses maintain their agency through selective host and cell targeting and autonomous behavior, while also exploring the idea of consciousness in relation to the act of decision-making.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The free energy principle allows for the manifestation of artificial general intelligence through the engineering of a robot and computer that can perform gradient descent on a probabilistic generative model.
1:16:14 - 1:25:59 (09:45)
Summary
The free energy principle allows for the manifestation of artificial general intelligence through the engineering of a robot and computer that can perform gradient descent on a probabilistic generative model.
Episode#99 – Karl Friston: Neuroscience and the Free Energy Principle
PodcastLex Fridman Podcast
The narratives we are given at an early age shape our self-beliefs, and active inference and self-evidencing are ways in which we fulfill these beliefs.
1:25:59 - 1:29:05 (03:05)
Summary
The narratives we are given at an early age shape our self-beliefs, and active inference and self-evidencing are ways in which we fulfill these beliefs. It not only models our environment but actively changes it.