What happens when engineered systems become too complex for humans to understand, let alone control? Riccardo Sanz argues that the path forward requires machines capable of controlling themselves , and that this leads, perhaps inevitably, toward machine self-awareness. Subscribe for more from the Convergent Science Network podcast series. Riccardo Sanz approaches consciousness not from philosophy or neuroscience, but from the hard edge of control engineering. In this interview, he explains why traditional control theory breaks down when the controller itself becomes so complex that it can fail in ways no human operator can diagnose. Modern countrywide electrical grids, flight control systems, and computing infrastructures already exceed human comprehension during failure states , leading to blackouts, crashes, and cascading breakdowns. Sanz's pro ...