CFP: Workshop “(En)Active Minds and AI”

Workshop “(En)Active Minds and AI” 5 September 2025 | Anfiteatro Nobre

Faculty of Arts and Humanities | University of Porto 

Call for Abstracts

We invite submissions for a one-day workshop dedicated to exploring the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and the Philosophy of Mind, drawing inspiration from the work of Tobias Schlicht (Ruhr University Bochum). Schlicht’s contributions to consciousness studies, social cognition, and the embodied mind may offer rich philosophical resources for rethinking AI’s role in cognitive modeling, mind design, and ethical reasoning.

Confirmed Keynote Speaker: Tobias Schlicht (Ruhr University Bochum)

This workshop will critically engage with key questions raised by Schlicht’s recent research, including:

• What kinds of architectures (biological or artificial) can support phenomenal consciousness?

• How does social embeddedness influence cognitive development, and can these dynamics be replicated in artificial systems?

• How are consciousness and cognition distributed across natural and artificial systems?

• How should we conceptualize machine minds in light of embodiment, normativity, and situated rationality?

We welcome submissions from philosophers, cognitive scientists, AI researchers, and interdisciplinary scholars working on topics such as:

• (Artificial) consciousness and Minimal Cognition

• Normative Dimensions of (Artificial) Agency

• AI and Social Cognition: modeling Theory of Mind

• Predictive Processing and (Synthetic) Neurocognitive Architectures

• Critical Engagements with Schlicht’s Theories on Cognition and Consciousness, and Intentionality

• Basal Cognition 

• Philosophical and Empirical Aspects of Attention

Submission Details

• Deadline: 20 August 2025

• Submit an Abstract between 400–500 words, anonymized for peer review and a short bio (100 words).

• Submit via [email protected]

• There is no fee to participate. Unfortunately, we do not have any funding available for accepted speakers. In-person participation only.

• Notification Info: in order to facilitate the request for funding and travel plans of the accepted speakers, notification of acceptance or rejection will be given in short notice (2-3 days) after the submission (deadline: 20 August 2025; we advise you to submit as early as possible). 

For questions, contact: Steven S. Gouveia ([email protected]) or Maria Luiza Iennaco ([email protected]).