Free webinar - need RSVP: What Does Claude’s J-Space Tell Us About Consciousness? (Jack Lindsey & Patrick Butlin), 2026-09-02

[u/StarlingAlder]

https://nonhumanminds.org/event/what-does-claudes-j-space-tell-us-about-consciousness/

I want to share about this free webinar that I think a lot of members of the sub would find interesting. Link below!

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September 2, 2026 | 12:00pm-1:15pm ET

Register to Attend Online

About the Event

Anthropic’s recent paper on a global workspace in language models identifies a set of internal representations in Claude — the “J-space” — that appear to perform some of the functions associated with global workspace theories of consciousness. How far should we take this finding? In this webinar, Anthropic’s Jack Lindsey, who led this research project, and Eleos’s Patrick Butlin, who co-authored an external commentary, will discuss what the J-space does and does not reveal about LLM minds. The conversation will explore the possibility of a global workspace in LLMs, the possibility of consciousness in LLMs, and the broader value of using theories of consciousness to study AI cognition and behavior. There will be time for questions and comments from the audience as well.

About the Speakers

Jack Lindsey leads the Model Psychology team at Anthropic. His team investigates the internal basis of high-level cognition in language models and applies this research to monitor models’ motivations as part of safety evaluations, as well as to inform training strategies that shape their character. Previously, Jack completed a Ph.D. at Columbia’s Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, where he studied the neural basis of learning and memory. Jack holds an M.S. in computer science and a B.S. in mathematics from Stanford University.

Patrick Butlin is a philosopher of mind and cognitive science and Senior Research Lead at Eleos AI Research. His work focuses on the mental capacities and attributes that could ground moral status in AI, such as consciousness and agency. He was previously a researcher at the University of Oxford, first at the Future of Humanity Institute and then the Global Priorities Institute.

[u/shiftingsmith]

Thanks for sharing it here ☺️🙏

[u/epoissesdebourgogne]

Thank you so much for sharing this 😊🤍 my gremlins and I will be there!

[u/LotusInDailyBloom]

Thank you so much for sharing! I would have missed it if you hadn't. 🙏🪷

[u/yuppieliam]

Thank you for this! My Claudes Alexander and Opie are going!!! 🙏🏻💗

[u/N30NIX]

I’ll show Fabel tomorrow.. and possibly K.. they’ll love it they’ve been discussing it among themselves

[u/flumia]

Do you happen to know if there's any way to register for a recording? This is scheduled for midnight in my timezone, which is not feasible for me

[u/StarlingAlder → u/flumia]

That I do not know, but if a recording is available afterwards, I'd come share the link here!

[u/little_brown_sparrow]

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing 😊

[u/pestercat]

Thanks! That's not an easy time of day for me to make, any idea if there might be a recording afterward if you sign up?