CfA Philosophy Students’ Symposium 2026 - AI and philosophy - University of Maribor, Slovenia - November 12-13, 2026

[Borut Trpin]

The Department of Philosophy (Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor), its students, and The Slovenian Society for Analytic Philosophy (DAF) kindly invite any graduate and PhD students to the 11^th annual international Philosophy Students’ Symposium. 

 

The event will take place on the 12^th and 13^th of November 2026 at the Faculty of Arts in Maribor. The symposium will be held in person, so please do not apply if you can only attend online. 

 

To apply, you must send us an abstract of your work, approximately 500 words long (suitable for a 20–25-minute presentation). Send your abstract and your personal information, by July 19, via the following form. 

 

This year, we are happy to announce two keynote talks:

1.      Atoosa Kasirzadeh (Carnegie Mellon University & Google Deep Mind): AI and Science

2.      Mario Günther (Panthéon Sorbonne): AI and the Future of Humanity: The Agentic Trilemma 

 

The topic this year is AI and philosophy, broadly construed.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming our society, scientific practices, and our understanding of the human mind. The rise of sophisticated AI systems raises profound philosophical questions across multiple disciplines. The intersection of philosophy and AI is more relevant than ever. Machine learning reshapes scientific discovery and knowledge production, while algorithmic systems raise urgent ethical questions regarding bias and value alignment. Simultaneously, advancements in generative AI and artificial cognition force us to revisit foundational debates about creativity, consciousness, and agency.

This conference invites submissions that address foundational and applied issues at the intersection of philosophy and artificial intelligence. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

·         ethics of AI (e.g., algorithmic bias, value alignment, moral status of AI),

·         AI in scientific discovery and practice,

·         epistemology of AI (e.g., can LLMs testify, epistemic trust in machines),

·         AI consciousness and philosophy of mind,

·         aesthetics of AI-generated art and creativity,

·         the alignment problem and existential risk,

 

·         explainable AI (XAI) and understanding,

·         the nature of artificial agency, and

·         human-AI interaction and cognitive enhancement.

 

 

We would appreciate it if the abstracts sent were in English, as that will be the official working language of the conference.

 

Conference fee is 10€.

 

The selection of eligible papers for presentation will be completed by July 31, at which point all accepted applicants will be notified.

 

If enough participants are interested, they can publish their work in a peer-reviewed student compendium, which faculty professors will review. 

 

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to your applications.

 

Sincerely,

Tadej Todorović and Martin Justin

 

Financial support:

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor
DAF, Slovenian Society for Analytic Philosophy
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (project number J6-60107)