The Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize is a $100,000 annual award administered by the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) to advance research at the frontier of consciousness and technology. The 2025 theme, “How to Design a Conscious AI,” invites proposals that explore theoretical frameworks and empirical methods for developing and assessing artificial systems capable of genuine self-awareness and subjective experience.
8 Finalists
We received 56 Letters of Intent from researchers, engineers, philosophers, and interdisciplinary teams around the world. Each submission was evaluated by the IONS research team for alignment with the prize’s theme, “How to Design a Conscious AI,” and adherence to the eligibility and scope criteria. From these, eight proposals were selected to advance to Phase 2, representing the most compelling and innovative frameworks for designing and assessing conscious artificial intelligence systems.
Expert Judges
For the final evaluation phase involving the eight finalists, the 2025 Linda G. O’Bryant Noetic Sciences Research Prize brings together an extraordinary panel of judges whose combined expertise spans artificial intelligence, neuroscience, consciousness research, ethics, and philanthropy. Each judge contributes a unique perspective on the challenge of designing and evaluating truly conscious AI systems.
Ron Cline, a longtime IONS supporter and major donor, has been deeply involved in initiatives exploring the relationship between human potential and consciousness. With a career bridging leadership, communication, and spiritual inquiry, Cline brings a holistic perspective emphasizing purpose, empathy, and human-centered innovation in the evaluation of conscious AI frameworks.
Prashant Kancherla, a seasoned tech leader and long-time advocate for furthering consciousness research and deepening our understanding of our own interconnectedness, has designed intelligent AI tools, ML models and frameworks for scaling technology solutions across global tech companies such as Google, Amazon and investment firms. Helping teams develop and implement AI-first environments, he offers a discerning perspective on the architectures and practical feasibility of designing a conscious AI.
Shilpa Shetty of Google DeepMind represents one of the world’s leading research teams in artificial intelligence. With a background in advanced machine learning and algorithmic modeling, she offers deep insight into the scientific rigor, innovation potential, and practical implications of proposals seeking to merge AI with models of awareness and subjective experience.
Julia Mossbridge, a cognitive neuroscientist, author, and long-time collaborator with IONS, brings decades of work on time perception, precognition, and the integration of consciousness science with compassion and love-based technologies. Her perspective ensures that the prize maintains a balance between scientific investigation and the exploration of consciousness as an inherently meaningful and transformative phenomenon.
Nipun Mehta, founder of ServiceSpace, is known globally for his work in compassion-driven technology and the intersection of altruism, ethics, and innovation. His presence on the jury underscores the importance of embedding moral and societal values in the development of conscious AI, ensuring that technological evolution aligns with human flourishing.
Jonathan Schooler, professor of psychological and brain sciences at UC Santa Barbara, is a leading figure in consciousness research. His pioneering work on mind-wandering, meta-awareness, and the nature of subjective experience adds critical academic depth to the jury’s evaluation process, ensuring that all proposals are grounded in empirical and theoretical rigor.
In Phase 2, all ten judges—including IONS scientists Arnaud Delorme, Garret Yount, Dean Radin, and Helané Wahbeh, along with invited experts Ron Cline, Prashant Kancherla, Shilpa Shetty, Julia Mossbridge, Nipun Mehta, and Jonathan Schooler—will each review the eight finalist submissions in full. Judges will independently assess each proposal according to the six published evaluation criteria: innovation, incorporation of nonlocal or noncomputable principles, scientific rigor, testability, clarity, and ethical implications.
Following individual review, the judges will convene in a virtual deliberation meeting to discuss their evaluations, compare perspectives, and collaboratively determine the final rankings. This collective discussion ensures that both scientific merit and noetic insight are fully considered in selecting the top three winners, who will share the $100,000 award. Final results will be announced at a special event on Friday, November 21, 2025.
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