Dr. Tononi, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist, will discuss the integrated information theory (IIT), a comprehensive theory of what consciousness is, what determines its quantity and quality, and how it emerges from causal structures such as neural networks. The theory provides a parsimonious account of many neuropsychological observations, among them why certain parts of the brain give rise to experience and others do not, why consciousness vanishes during slow wave sleep and seizures despite continuing neural activity, and how unconscious processes interact with conscious ones. Dr. Tononi will present a newly developed TMS/hdEEG approach (transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with high density electroencephalography) to obtain a practical, bed-side “consciousness-meter” that is i) theoretically motivated, ii) does not require communication with the patient, iii) has been validated in several conditions in which consciousness is substantially altered. Finally, he will discuss the implications of IIT for the unfolding of consciousness across development and phylogeny, and to predict which ingredients are necessary and sufficient to construct sentient machines.