NORTHFIELD — Is an artificial intelligence model like ChatGPT capable of truly thinking and understanding? Does it have feelings? How about opinions or aspirations?
These are just some of the questions posed by Michael Augros as part of “The Mind and the Machine,” a 10-part video podcast series on AI produced by Thomas Aquinas College, New England, where he is a member of the teaching faculty. Augros aims to present the topic in easy-to-follow arguments, in a manner accessible to anyone with an interest in it.
“My background is in philosophy, and that has a lot to say about AI. So that’s kind of why there are 10 videos,” he said in his office in East Hall. “I’m hoping there will be more in the future — not on AI in particular, but more philosophical content, so we’ll see.”
The first three episodes have dropped and are available on YouTube, at www.thomasaquinas.edu/mind and on major podcasting platforms. A new episode will drop every week until the series is finished. In the first one, Augros considers the importance of analyzing artificial intelligence from a philosophical and theological perspective.
“I really enjoyed the process and I think it’s a better way to reach people than books,” the published author said. “This kind of thing can reach an audience that a book couldn’t — and vice versa.”
Augros, 56, explained that John Goyette, one of TAC’s vice presidents at the college’s California campus and one of the podcast’s executive producers, called him about a year ago to ask if he would be interested in making a series about AI.
“I happened to have been thinking about Thomas Aquinas and his philosophy of knowledge, of cognition, and what it might have to say about artificial intelligence. I happened to have been thinking about that for about a year or two,” he said. “It took about a semester for me just to write up all the material. And then I went out to the California campus last July and we filmed it out there.”
Augros also mentioned that he has three brothers and one brother-in-law who work in the tech industry and helped him understand the topic’s technological aspect.
The college’s namesake was a 13th-century Italian Catholic saint, priest and friar of the Dominican Order and is regarded as one of history’s most influential philosophers and theologians. This podcast coincides with “AI Has No Soul — and Never Will,” an op-ed Augros wrote for the National Catholic Register earlier this month.
“Mike Augros is a brilliant philosopher, and his ‘Mind and the Machine’ podcast takes a deep, profound dive into the subject of AI and, ultimately, what it means to be human, drawing on the wisdom of the ages,” Christopher Weinkopf, the college’s executive director of college relations and the podcast series’ other executive producer, said in a statement. “His rigorous, multidisciplinary approach is intellectually demanding but also comprehensible to attentive viewers — a testament to the enduring value of Catholic liberal education in ever-changing times.”
The episodes vary in length but average about an hour. Augros, a 1992 graduate of the college, praised the work of Doug Cummins, who produced, directed and edited the podcast series.
“The actual filming took place in three days. And it was exactly 20 hours of on-camera time, studio time, edited down to 10. That’s mostly me asking for retakes,” Augros said with a laugh.