Perceptual experiences seem to present\, make manifest\, or &lsquo\;give&rsquo\; the world to us. Such experiences have &lsquo\;presentational phenomenology&rsquo\;\, or &lsquo\;presentational feel&rsquo\;\; they seem to offer &lsquo\;scene immediacy&rsquo\; or &lsquo\;givenness in-the-flesh&rsquo\;. And perhaps perceptual experiences are not unique in this regard: similar expressions have been used to articulate\, for instance\, mathematical intuitions\, and certain religious experiences. However\, most attempts to characterize presentational phenomenology revolve around striking yet unexplained metaphors. The aim of this conference is to move beyond metaphor\, exploring presentational phenomenology in a variety of different contexts and from a variety of different perspectives\, including epistemology\, philosophy of perception\, philosophy of religion\, psychopathology\, and VR research.
ORGANIZER;CN="Søren Overgaard";CN=Laura Oppi;CN="Kasper Møller Nielsen";CN=Mads G. Henriksen: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260901T115656Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260921T234500 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20260921T234500 SUMMARY:Workshop on Functions and Representations in AI Systems UID:20260901T115919Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:341e:85ff:fe23:45%3 TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Carlsberg Academy\, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 13\, Copenhagen\, Denmark\, 1778 DESCRIPTION:Call for Abstracts: Workshop on Functions and Representations in AI Systems
16th&ndash\;17th November 2026
Copenhagen\, Denmark (Carlsberg Academy)
CFA Deadline September 21st
We invite abstract submissions for a workshop on Functions and Representations in AI Systems\, to be held in Copenhagen\, Denmark November 16th&ndash\;17th.
Abstracts of 300-500 words will be due 21st September.
The concepts of function and representation are widely invoked in the cognitive and life sciences. An influential philosophical tradition\, teleosemantics\, proposes to ground representation partly in biological functions and ground functions in historical selection processes. While this remains a leading approach\, the account has faced challenges\, ranging from the notorious "swampman" objection\, to more recent disputes about the nature of functional and representational explanation in scientific practice.
Independently\, the recent wave of developments in artificial intelligence has sparked questions about the representational capacities of AI models\, e.g. what\, if anything\, can large language models represent? The emerging field of mechanistic interpretability is replete with function- and representation-talk. But is this talk justified? Are AI models subject to selection processes\, in the proper sense? And are the concepts of representation and function deployed here the same as those invoked in the life sciences? Are standard philosophical frameworks adequate for the case of AI? Or should we look elsewhere\, e.g. to theorising about artefacts? And what role\, if any\, do human norms and intentionality play in grounding AI functions and content?
A workshop on these issues\, co-funded by the Pioneer Center for Artificial Intelligence (https://www.aicentre.dk/p1-programs/functions-and-representations-in-ai-systems) and the Center for Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (University of Copenhagen) (https://cpai.ku.dk/)\, will be held in Copenhagen\, November 16th&ndash\;17th\, in the beautiful Carlsberg Academy building (https://www.carlsbergfondet.dk/en/about-the-foundation/our-buildings/the-carlsberg-academy/).
Confirmed speakers include
\nWe invite abstracts on these issues for presentation at the workshop. Questions for consideration include (but are not limited to):
Abstracts of 300-500 words should be sent via email to Iwan Williams (iwi@hum.ku.dk) no later than Monday 21st September. Please include your name\, institutional affiliation and a short bio (max 150 words) in the body of your email. We look forward receiving your submissions.
Please feel free to forward this information to anyone who you think might be interested in presenting a paper or attending the workshop. A further message will be circulated closer to the time with information about registration.
This workshop aims to bring together scholars from different disciplines who are working to characterize\, map\, and critique the field of AI Safety and AI Existential Risk research. \;
\nMain questions include\, but are not limited to:
- What is the landscape of AI safety and existential risk communities and research\, and what are the tensions within those?
- Can AI safety or AI existential risk be described as an ideology?
- What assumptions about cognitive science\, economics\, sociology\, society\, or power\, amongst others\, underlie and confound AI Safety?
- What are the formal methods of the field\, and how can they be improved?
- What are the funding flows in the field? How easy is it for individuals to receive funding\, and what factors are considered in funding decisions?
- What policy proposals does the AI safety community lobby for\, and through what channels?
- How is the community established\, what are their recruiting strategies\, and what makes them so successful?
- How tightly interlinked is the research philosophy with other non-scientific fields\, like science fiction\, hype\, speculation\, and imagination?
\; For more information\, please see the CfP: \;https://philevents.org/event/show/149737
ORGANIZER;CN=Ninell Oldenburg;CN=Nina Rajcic;CN="Anders Søgaard";CN=Bokar N'Diaye;CN=Filippos Stamatiou: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260901T115656Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20261012T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20261016T170000 SUMMARY:Models of Consciousness 7 UID:20260901T115921Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:341e:85ff:fe23:45%3 TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Copenhagen\, Denmark ORGANIZER: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260901T115656Z DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20261116T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Berlin:20261117T170000 SUMMARY:Workshop on Functions and Representations in AI Systems UID:20260901T115922Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:341e:85ff:fe23:45%3 TZID:Europe/Berlin LOCATION:Carlsberg Academy\, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 13\, Copenhagen\, Denmark\, 1778 DESCRIPTION:Workshop on Functions and Representations in AI Systems
16th&ndash\;17th November 2026
Copenhagen\, Denmark (Carlsberg Academy)
CFA Deadline September 21st
The concepts of function and representation are widely invoked in the cognitive and life sciences. An influential philosophical tradition\, teleosemantics\, proposes to ground representation partly in biological functions and ground functions in historical selection processes. While this remains a leading approach\, the account has faced challenges\, ranging from the notorious "swampman" objection\, to more recent disputes about the nature of functional and representational explanation in scientific practice.
Independently\, the recent wave of developments in artificial intelligence has sparked questions about the representational capacities of AI models\, e.g. what\, if anything\, can large language models represent? The emerging field of mechanistic interpretability is replete with function- and representation-talk. But is this talk justified? Are AI models subject to selection processes\, in the proper sense? And are the concepts of representation and function deployed here the same as those invoked in the life sciences? Are standard philosophical frameworks adequate for the case of AI? Or should we look elsewhere\, e.g. to theorising about artefacts? And what role\, if any\, do human norms and intentionality play in grounding AI functions and content?
A workshop on these issues\, co-funded by the Pioneer Center for Artificial Intelligence (https://www.aicentre.dk/p1-programs/functions-and-representations-in-ai-systems) and the Center for Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (University of Copenhagen) (https://cpai.ku.dk/)\, will be held in Copenhagen\, November 16th&ndash\;17th\, in the beautiful Carlsberg Academy building (https://www.carlsbergfondet.dk/en/about-the-foundation/our-buildings/the-carlsberg-academy/).
Confirmed speakers include
\nWe invite abstracts on these issues for presentation at the workshop. See CFA page here (deadline 21st September) \;https://philevents.org/event/show/152957.
\nPlease feel free to forward this information to anyone who you think might be interested in presenting a paper or attending the workshop. A further message will be circulated closer to the time with information about registration.
ORGANIZER;CN=Iwan Williams: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR