Name: AI and Consciousness: What Is Actually Happening In There (According to Mathematics)?
Start: 2026-04-23T19:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2026-04-23T21:00:00.000-04:00
Location: New York, New York

Informal "Fireside Chats" between a Technology Solutions Firm and an expert in their field about topics of mutual interest in person in our East Village office.

Tête-à-Tech

Join Jeffrey Berger, Ph.D. (Theoretical Physicist, Technologist, Founder and CTO) and Noah Landow (Founder and CEO at Macktez) for an informal conversation between an expert in the mathematical tools of computation and the founder of a technology consulting firm.

Jeffrey doesn't just talk theory; he is a hands-on technologist who builds at every level. After completing his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics, he has spent decades tackling complex tech challenges in industry, from launching products from scratch to optimizing systems handling millions in transactions. In our conversation we’ll apply that first-principles mindset to one of the most provocative questions in tech: is AI actually "thinking?” 

While AI products and marketing often use the term "thinking" we will dive into what these models are doing mathematically — probabilistic token generation and the sophisticated patterns of the Transformer architecture. We’ll explore the historical roles of the Turing test as a mathematical litmus for consciousness and discuss the evolving landscape of "thinking engines," from neural networks, to surprising emergent behaviors; we’ll touch on some of the many concepts of what defines consciousness in speculative fiction, biology, and neuroscience, but focus mainly on what perspective theoretical and applied mathematics can tell us about what is actually happening inside the generative machine learning systems commonly called “AI.”

Join us at the Macktez office after work for snacks, drinks, and a friendly deep dive into the intersection of mathematics, AI, and the nature of consciousness. No Ph.D. required.

We ask that guests arrive between 7-7:30 pm to minimize disruption during the talk.

7 pm - Doors open, opportunity to mingle over snacks and sips with other attendees

7:30 pm - Guests take their seats for the talk

We have a limited capacity (and often have a long waitlist!). If your plans change, please update your registration so someone else can join.

A bit about Macktez, and why we host this series

Macktez is a technology consultancy collaborating with organizations going through dynamic change. 

Our goal is to form a lasting partnership between our team and our clients, so we can anticipate their technology challenges and help them navigate growth, disruption, and other evolving conditions.

Each event in our Tête-à-Tech series is an opportunity to explore a specific cultural, scientific, historical, and personal issue. We fire at the synapses that connect each topic to other fields of interest and to our individual lives. And we do so in a comfortable environment to facilitate conversation that can be casual, surprising, and illuminating.