Spatial Web AI Podcast

This video features rare, in-depth conversations between Denise Holt, Karl Friston, and Gary Marcus, recorded at the International Workshop on Active Inference 2025 in Montreal, Canada, October 15-17, 2025. #ActiveInference #KarlFriston #GaryMarcus
Filmed on site during the conference, this episode brings together two of the most influential thinkers in AI, neuroscience, and cognitive science to discuss where artificial intelligence is today and where it must go next.
In an extended one-on-one interview, Karl Friston explores Active Inference, the Free Energy Principle, agency, uncertainty, and why current generative AI systems lack true understanding. Friston explains why intelligence must be grounded in generative models of the world, how uncertainty and curiosity drive real intelligence, and why Active Inference represents a first-principles approach to building adaptive,autonomous systems.
The episode also includes a candid interview with Gary Marcus, one of the most prominent critics of large language models. Marcus discusses the limitations of LLMs, the dangers of hallucination and overconfidence, the need for explicit world models, and why symbolic reasoning and probabilistic structure must return to the core of AI systems. He alsoaddresses governance, energy efficiency, and why scaling data and compute alone will not lead to reliable intelligence.
Finally, the video features a joint on-stagediscussion with Karl Friston and Gary Marcus, moderated by Tim Verbelen at the International Workshop on Active Inference, where they debate the future of AIbeyond deep learning, the role of uncertainty, world models, agency, and what it will take to move from pattern generation to genuine understanding.
This episode was recorded live at IWAI 2025, where researchers from around the world gathered to advance Active Inference as a foundational framework for intelligence in neuroscience, robotics, and artificial systems.
Topics covered in this video include:
·     Karl Friston on Active Inference and the FreeEnergy Principle
·     Karl Friston on Yann LeCun
·    Gary Marcus on the limits of large languagemodels
·     Why uncertainty is essential for intelligence
·     Agency, curiosity, and information-seekingbehavior
·     World models vs generative AI
·     Energy efficiency and sustainability in AI
·     Why scaling deep learning is not enough
·     The future of adaptive, autonomous AI systems
This conversation is essential viewing for anyone interested in the future of AI, neuroscience, cognitive science, and the next generation of intelligent systems.
Recorded at the International Workshop on Active Inference 2025 in Montreal, Canada.
Learn more about Active Inference AI at https://aix.us.com/
#ActiveInference #KarlFriston #GaryMarcus #AIX #SeedIQ #IWAI

August 7, 2025 #ActiveInference - In this thought-provoking episode of the Spatial Web AI Podcast, host Denise Holt (Founder & CEO of AIXGlobal Media and Learning Lab Central) sits down with two renowned expertsshaping the future of intelligent systems:
🔹 Dr. Mahault Albarracin, Head of ResearchStrategy & Product Innovation at VERSES AI
🔹Dr. David Bray, DistinguishedFellow at the Stimson Center and CEO of Lead Do Adapt Ventures
Together, they explore the cutting edge of Active Inference AI and the SpatialWeb Protocol – HSTP & HSML, showcasing VERSES' latestbreakthroughs in distributed intelligence, federated agent systems, andreal-time learning.
🚀 Key Topics Covered:
·      Breakthrough performance of VERSES’ AXIOM model and its edge-compatible,biomimetic design
·      How federatedActive Inference enables multi-agent coordination in dynamicenvironments
·      The role of shared protentions and collective intelligence in human-AI collaboration
·      The SpatialWeb Protocol and HyperspaceModeling Language (HSML) as a foundation for context-aware,decentralized AI
·      Societal implications for global governance, policy, trust, and explainability
·      AI learning of social norms, Theoryof Mind, and adaptive behaviorin homes, cities, and critical systems
·      Dramatic energyefficiency advantages through VariationalBayes Gaussian Splatting (VBGS) and scale-free modeling
🧠 Learn how this newclass of explainable, energy-efficient, and truly intelligent systems is set torevolutionize everything from roboticsand governance to disaster response and personalized living environments.
🎧 Whether you're an AIresearcher, policymaker, tech innovator, or future-focused leader—this is amust-watch conversation on the future of intelligence.
🔗 Learn more and startyour training & certification in Active Inference AI and the Spatial Web at:
👉https://learninglab.emmersionpublishing.com

🔴 In this public releaseof my May 2025 Learning Lab LIVE session, I walk through the foundations ofActive Inference AI and the newly ratified IEEE 2874 Spatial Web Protocol, andexplain how these two technologies converge to create adaptive, decentralized,real-time intelligent systems that far surpass the limitations of today’sgenerative AI. #ActiveInference #SpatialWeb #HSML
This 40-minute executive-level briefingis designed to orient business and technology leaders to what comes next—beyondLLMs and centralized models—and why Active Inference, paired with the SpatialWeb, represents the most scalable, efficient, and explainable path forward forenterprise AI and distributed computing.
➡️ What You’ll Learn:
◾ Why deep learning andgenerative AI are hitting limits in scale, safety, and cost
◾ How Active Inference worksas a unified framework for perception, learning, reasoning, and action
◾ What RenormalizingGenerative Models (RGMs) are, and how they outperform traditional models usingfar less data
◾ How the Spatial WebProtocol (HSTP + HSML) brings context, identity, and interoperability to theinternet
◾ What enterprises can dotoday to prepare for the transition and start experimenting with IntelligentAgents
🔸 🔸 This massive shift in AI will transform all industries.Education is a top priority.
➡️ For more FREE educationalresources—and to join our monthly Learning Lab LIVE sessions—visit:
🔗  https://learninglab.emmersionpublishing.com/
💡 Learn moreabout the only available Executive Certification for this technology stack: CertifiedSpecialist: Active Inference AI & Spatial Web Technologies
🔗  https://emmersionpublishing.com/course-executive-program
🔴  Executive leaders who achieve thiscertification gain a distinct advantage, positioning themselves as confirmedleaders in shaping the next evolution of intelligent, decentralized systems. Ina rapidly changing technological landscape, this certification signifies yourmastery and readiness to lead in the era of Active Inference AI and Spatial Webtechnologies.
🔔 Subscribe to ourYouTube Channel stay up to date on future episodes from the Spatial Web AIPodcast.
 
#ActiveInferenceAI #SpatialWebTraining#HSML #HSTP #EnterpriseAI

In this exclusive podcast interview, Denise Holt sits down with Brett Kagan, Chief Scientist at Cortical Labs, for an in-depth exploration into their groundbreaking synthetic biological intelligence (SBI) technology. Brett reveals the science behind their revolutionary CL1 system—the first commercial biological computer fusing live human neurons with silicon computing. We discuss how their DishBrain experiment validated Dr. Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle, the extraordinary energy efficiency of biological intelligence, and the significant implications for industries like drug discovery, personalized medicine, and robotics. Don't miss this insightful conversation, rich with first-hand stories and detailed explanations from the forefront of neuroscience and AI innovation. #CorticalLabs #CL1 #ActiveInferenceAI
Key Topics:
·  The CL1 System: How Cortical Labs successfully merged live human neurons with silicon chips to create the first synthetic biological intelligence computing system.
·  DishBrain Experiment: Insights into the groundbreaking experiment validating Dr. Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle through neuron-based Pong gameplay.
·  Energy Efficiency of Biological Intelligence: Understanding how biological neurons provide vastly superior energy efficiency compared to traditional AI systems.
·  Ethical Implications: Brett Kagan's candid discussion on the responsible use of human neurons in research and their potential to reduce animal testing.
·  Real-world Applications: The transformative impact of synthetic biological intelligence on drug discovery, personalized medicine, and robotics.

Guest:Brett Kagan, Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs
Host: Denise Holt, CEO and Founder, AIX Global Media
Huge thank you to Brettfor being on our show!
Discover more about Cortical Labs: https://corticallabs.com
 
Looking for education resources and courses on Active Inference, the Free Energy Principle, and Spatial Web Technologies? Visit Learning Lab Central to find others around the world who are just as excited for this new shift in AI and computing:
https://learninglab.emmersionpublishing.com
 
#CorticalLabs #CL1 #FreeEnergyPrinciple#ActiveInferenceAi

In this special episode of the Spatial Web AI Podcast,Denise Holt reconnects with Katryna Dow, CEO and Founder of Meeco, exactly 10years after their first conversation on Denise's earlier podcast, CollaborativeIQ. That original episode, "Let's Talk: Retaining Ownership of YourPersonal Data | Interview: Katryna Dow of Meeco," aired on March 31, 2015,and addressed early concerns about data privacy and individual data ownership.#dataprivacy #SpatialWeb
A decade later, Katryna, one of the earliest pioneerstackling data privacy and personal digital identity, reflects on how herinitial warnings about data misuse have unfolded and intensified. Having foreshadowedevents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal years ahead of time, she now highlightstechnological advances and shifts toward decentralized systems, the criticalrole of cryptography, decentralized identity, zero-trust architectures, and howthese elements are reshaping our digital lives. Katryna also shares recentmilestones at Meeco, including impactful collaborations across Europe,Australia, and Japan, and explores the emerging implications of AI, digitaltwinning, and the Spatial Web Protocol for privacy, trust, and secure digitalinteractions.
Join this timely discussion to gain valuable insights intohow far we've come, the evolving challenges of data privacy, and the essentialsteps toward building a secure, transparent, and user-controlled digitalfuture.
As a bonus to those who are curious about what we werediscussing ten years ago, the audio of the original interview is attached tothe end of our current conversation.
Topics Covered:
Evolution of Data Privacy (2015-2025)
Transitioning from Centralized toDecentralized Architectures
AI, Digital Identity, and PredictiveAnalytics
Regulatory Impacts: GDPR, EU DigitalIdentity, and Global Developments
The Role of Emerging Technologies andthe Spatial Web Protocol
Trust, Transparency, and DigitalEthics in the Next Decade

Guest: Katryna Dow, CEO and Founder of Meeco
Host: Denise Holt, CEO and Founder, AIX Global Media
Huge thank you to Katrynafor being on our show!
Katryna Dow onLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrynadow/
Tolearn more about data privacy infrastructure, visit Meeco at https://www.meeco.me/
 
To find out moreabout Learning Lab Central and education and courses offered on ActiveInference AI and Spatial Web Technologies, visit:
https://emmersionpublishing.com/
To find others aroundthe world who are just as excited for this new shift in AI and computing, visitLearning Lab Central community platform:
https://learninglab.emmersionpublishing.com
#dataprivacy #SpatialWeb #Decentralization