It is unfortunate that instead of developing a safer alternative (which is quite doable given the pharmacology), the US regulatory environment made trying to get MDMA approved the more viable path, which, given the FDA committee’s vote today may not actually be viable after all.

I put together a simple primer on the different ways that MDMA can exhibit neurotoxicity, and what can be done to mitigate those effects. My decision to start writing this Monday sadly feels especially timely after yesterday’s FDA meeting. medium.com/@awjuliani/a-p…

AI has progressed by learning from human data, so how can it surpass human intellect? Our pre-print explores how cultural accumulation—the secret to the our species’s success—could emerge in artificial learning agents. Co-led with Jonny Cook. arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2406.00392

I'm visiting my conservative parents this week just discovered that they have a framed magazine cover with Richard Nixon's portrait on it. When asked why they have this, no good answer was forthcoming.

“We don’t form our dreams out of just our own souls. We dream anonymously and communally, though each in his own way. The great soul, of which we are just a little piece, dreams through us so to speak, dreams in our many different ways its own eternal, secret dream.” Thomas Mann

Brain-inspired global workspaces are often tested only on very simple tasks. In new published work we evaluate one of these models using a complex 3D navigation task, and find that it has multiple benefits over traditional architectures. Check out Kai's thread to learn more! 👇

🎉 Launching online today: "Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power since 1500." Dive into our large-scale interactive visualization exploring how technical and social structures co-evolved over five centuries. 🧵 calculatingempires.net

📢 Can we use LLMs to help tackle real-world challenges? Yes! We introduce Patient-Ψ, which uses LLMs to simulate patients to create an interactive framework for training mental health professionals. Read on to learn how we do it! 📄: arxiv.org/abs/2405.19660 🧵 1/n

I'm stuck on a plane with Kurzweil's new book, The Singularity is Nearer. Time for a live-tweet review thread.

How do neurons construct perceptual objects and the self? Our article "The Electrostatic Brain: How a Web of Neurons Generates the World-simulation that is You" explores the underlying mechanics constructing our brain's world simulation.

I wrote a little piece on how to psychologically interpret the six buddhist realms, and how each realm can flow into the others over the course of a lifetime: medium.com/@awjuliani/a-t…

Finally had time to read this thoughtful essay on the use of AI to improve human wellbeing in The Gradient. Highly recommended for anyone working in the field who wants to use the technology to make a positive difference. thegradient.pub/we-need-positi…