Varieties of transparency: exploring agency within AI systems.

AI systems play an increasingly important role in shaping and regulating the lives of millions of human beings across the world. Calls for greater from such systems have been widespread. However, there is considerable ambiguity concerning what "transparency" actually means, and therefore, what greater transparency might entail.

Axioms, properties and criteria: roles for synthesis in the science of consciousness.

Synthetic methods in science can aim at either instantiating a target phenomenon or simulating key mechanisms underlying that phenomenon; 'strong' and 'weak' approaches, respectively. While the former assumes a mature theory, the latter find its value in helping specify such theories. Here, we argue that artificial consciousness is best pursued as a (weak) means of theory development in consciousness science, and not as a (strong) axiom-driven project to build a conscious artefact.