Hartmut Neven, who runs Google’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence (AI) lab, wants to connect our brains to quantum processors to test the idea that consciousness involves quantum phenomena.
The idea that consciousness has roots in quantum mechanics is quite controversial.
Hartmut Nevenresponsible for the Quantum AI Laboratory at Googlenow wants to challenge skeptics by proposing that quantum computers can help unravel the mystery of our consciousness.
As explained by , Neven’s theory is based on an adaptation of the ideas of Roger Penrosewho suggested that conscious moments arise from the collapse of quantum superpositions in the brain.
Hartmut Neven, expert in physics and computational neuroscience, leads one of the most advanced quantum computing laboratories in the world. Recently, the team he leads developed the quantum processor, capable of performing calculations in times that challenge even the most powerful classical supercomputer.
Google’s AI leader believes quantum mechanics could offer a unique explanation for consciousness. Specifically, Neven suggests that consciousness emerges from the selection of a classical reality among the various possibilities described by quantum physics.
This approach attributes to quantum states a fundamental role in the conscious process, going beyond the classical view of the mind as a simple biological machine.
How to test “quantum consciousness”
To test this hypothesis, Neven proposes a “expansion protocol”where human brains would be entangled with quantum computers.
The idea interconnect the qubits of the brain with the qubits of the processor quantum, so that conscious experience can be expanded, creating richer and more complex sensations. This test would be a way to directly observe the quantum states associated with mental processes and correlate them with specific conscious experiences.
However, experiences with anesthetics already offer intriguing clues. Some studies suggest that isotopes of anesthetic gases, with different quantum properties, affect consciousness in ways that cannot be explained by classical physics.
According to Hartmut Neven, cited by New Scientist, these data could be a “smoking gun” in favor of the theory of quantum consciousness.
Neven’s quantum theory of consciousness proposes a revolutionary view of mind and matter. If their experiments are successful, they could not only confirm that consciousness has quantum roots, but also open new horizons for exploring the human mind and creating higher states of consciousness.
Technical and philosophical obstacles
However, although promising, this approach faces,obstacles. The interconnection between brains and quantum processors requires non-invasive technologies, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, which are still in the early stages of development.
Furthermore, the question remains whether this view is capable of resolving fundamental paradoxes of quantum physics without violating principles such as causality.
