Kenneth Cukier is Deputy Executive Editor at The Economist and co-author of "Framers: Human Advantage in an Age of Technology and Turmoil." He came on to debate whether creating spiritual machines would be a necessary stepping stone towards AGI, and whether that's even possible.Kenneth argues that while AI excels at rational thinking (logos), it fundamentally lacks the spiritual dimension (mythos) that makes us human. We dig into whether AI can develop genuine intuition, whether there exists a "life force" and whether machines could have it, and what any of this means for AI existential risk.We also discuss:- Whether LLM usage in business has been successful- The loneliness epidemic and emotional connections with AI- Whether humans will retreat from or embrace AI in the coming years- How AI might transform medical diagnosis, auditing, and other professions**Kenneth's work:**- Website: cukier.com- Substack: https://chiefwordofficer.substack.com/What do you think - can machines ever be truly conscious, or only simulate it? Let me know in the comments.#AI #AGI #ArtificialIntelligence #Philosophy #AIEthics #AIAlignment #Consciousness #TheEconomist #AIDebate