CFA: ML, Explain Yourself!: Perspectives from Philosophy and Computer Science

Machine learning (ML), including large language models and other deep learning models, are encroaching on nearly all our knowledge institutions. Ever more scientific fields—from medical science to fundamental physics—are turning to ML to solve long-standing problems or make new discoveries. At the same time, ML is used across society to gain knowledge and information. DL models determine social-media newsfeeds, aid governments and industry in detecting fraud, and now ChatGPT has become integrated with Bing search and Quora.com answers. It is essential that we understand the potentials and challenges that come with using ML as a way of structuring all of our knowledge.

Together with the Normative Philosophy of Science Lab at Utrecht University and Eindhoven University of Technology, ML, Explain Yourself! is the capstone conference for the Dutch Research Council Veni project: Explain yourself!? The scope of understanding and explanation from machine learning. The conference will bring together philosophers and computer science researchers to discuss issues in ML surrounding decision support, scientific discovery, generalization, idealization, reliability, values, trust, and other areas in normative philosophy of science.

The conference will take place at Utrecht University April 10-12

Confirmed Keynote speakers include:

Lauren Ross, philosophy, UC Irvine 

Zack Lipton, computer science, Carnagie Mellon

Nava Tintarev, computer science and HCI, Maastricht University 

We welcome abstracts up to 500 words submitted by Jan. 15, 2024. Notification of acceptance by Feb. 1. 

All submissions send to: [email protected]. Please email your *blind* review abstract as an attachment. In the body of the email please include the title of the talk and author details. For PhD students, please indicate you are PhD student in the body of the email.  

Conference committee: 

Emily Sullivan, Utrecht University

Yeji Streppel, Eindhoven University of Technology

Kaush Kalidindi, Eindhoven University of Technology

Contact: [email protected] and [email protected]