Events and Opportunities
Conferences, workshops, fellowships, courses, and other opportunities in digital minds.
26 events
Upcoming
Workshop · In-person
16th Oxford Workshop on Global Priorities Research
Hilary Greaves & Andreas Mogensen, University of Oxford
Philosophical work on identifying and prioritising the most pressing global problems, including transformative AI and how to weigh impacts on different kinds of minds. Digital-minds-relevant speakers include Patrick Butlin, Leonard Dung, Bradford Saad, and Susan Schneider. Applications to attend closed 17 May.
RegisterConference · In-person
ASSC29
Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
Annual meeting of the ASSC, the leading academic society for consciousness research. Increasingly features work on AI consciousness and digital minds.
RegisterWorkshop · In-person
AI Consciousness and Ethics
AISB / Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science
A symposium within the AISB 2026 convention on the ethical issues raised by AI consciousness research, including the prospect of systems with moral standing as agents or patients.
RegisterConference · In-person
Biological Naturalism about Consciousness
Department of Philosophy, UCLA
Deadline: 30 Jun 2026
Conference on biological naturalism — the family of views holding that certain biological properties are required for consciousness — and its implications for AI welfare and animal consciousness. Keynotes from Jonathan Birch, Ned Block, Rosa Cao, Peter Godfrey-Smith, and Matthias Michel. Abstracts due 30 June; travel support for graduate students and untenured faculty.
RegisterGrant · Online
Longview Digital Minds RFP — research & career fellowships, project grants
Longview Philanthropy
Deadline: 10 Jul 2026
Open call across three tracks: research fellowships for scholars, career-development fellowships for people moving into digital minds work, and project grants for new organisations, programmes, and academic research on AI consciousness, sentience, moral status, and welfare.
ApplyJob · Hybrid
Eleos AI Research — Research Scientist
Eleos AI Research
Deadline: 21 Jun 2026
Foundational and applied machine-learning research on the potential wellbeing and moral status of AI systems, working across machine learning, cognitive science, and philosophy of mind. PhD and interpretability experience expected.
ApplyGrant · Online
Foresight Institute — AI for Science & Safety grants
Foresight Institute
Rolling grants (reviewed monthly) for work using frontier models to map, simulate, and understand biological intelligence — spanning brain-computer interfaces and whole brain emulation.
ApplyFellowship · Online
SPAR Fall 2026 Fellowship
Supervised Program for Alignment Research (SPAR)
Part-time remote research fellowship pairing aspiring researchers with mentors. Digital-minds-relevant projects include self-awareness in LLMs (Christopher Ackerman) and open questions in AI welfare (Catherine Brewer). Applications open in the summer.
RegisterCall · Online
Synthese — Artificial Joint Intentionality
Synthese (eds. Rust, Strasser, Ross)
Deadline: 31 Jul 2026
Call for papers for a Synthese topical collection on whether AI systems such as LLMs can act as genuine partners in social interaction, combining philosophy of joint action with analysis of interactive AI.
SubmitConference · In-person
Eleos Conference on AI Consciousness and Welfare
Eleos AI Research
Annual conference convening researchers, philosophers, and policymakers on AI consciousness and welfare, through talks, panels, a poster session, and 1:1s. The inaugural 2025 edition ran in November in Berkeley; a 2026 edition has been announced — apply via the conference page.
RegisterCourse · Online
Introduction to Digital Minds — Online Course
Cambridge CDM
Eight-week free online course exploring AI consciousness, moral status, and digital minds. Developed with experts from Cambridge, NYU, Oxford, PRISM, and Eleos AI. Launching 2026; expression of interest open.
RegisterRecently closed
Fellowship · In-person
MATS Autumn 2026 Fellowship
ML Alignment & Theory Scholars (MATS)
Closed: 7 Jun 2026
Ten-week fully funded AI safety research fellowship. Digital-minds-relevant streams include field-building with Rosie Campbell and empirical research with Dillon Plunkett (both Eleos).
Fellowship · In-person
Cambridge Digital Minds Fellowship
Cambridge CDM
Closed: 27 Mar 2026
Week-long intensive residential fellowship at Jesus College for researchers working on AI consciousness, AI welfare, and digital minds. Fully funded with travel, accommodation, and stipend.
Fellowship · In-person
Cambridge ERA:AI Fellowship
Existential Risk Alliance
Closed: 12 Apr 2026
Ten-week fully funded summer fellowship in Cambridge for researchers working on technical and governance measures to reduce risks from frontier AI, with digital minds within scope. Salary, accommodation, visa, and travel covered.
Fellowship · In-person
Pivotal Research Fellowship
Pivotal Research
Closed: 3 May 2026
Nine-week research fellowship in London (at LISA) for early-career researchers in AI safety and governance, with digital minds within scope. Mentored project work, weekly 1:1s, and a stipend.
Fellowship · Hybrid
GovAI Summer Fellowship
Centre for the Governance of AI
Closed: 4 Jan 2026
Research fellowship in AI governance. Digital minds questions increasingly within scope.
Program · Online
AI Sentience Scholars Program — 2026 Cohort
Neuromatch
Closed: 28 Apr 2026
Six-month part-time research and training programme for early-career researchers investigating AI sentience, consciousness, and ethics. Includes mentored projects, publication support, and up to USD 8,000 in research support.
Fellowship · Online
Future Impact Group Fellowship
Future Impact Group
Closed: 1 May 2026
Twelve-week part-time research fellowship with AI Sentience track. Eight or more hours/week with mentored project work.
Conference · In-person
MC0001 — The Founding Assembly for Machine Consciousness Research
California Institute for Machine Consciousness (CIMC)
First coordinated conference on constructing artificial conscious systems. Covers foundational theory, technical implementation, ethics, and AI art. Speakers include Karl Friston, Michael Levin, and Joscha Bach.
Conference · In-person
Sentient Futures Summit London 2026
Sentient Futures
Three-day summit on AI, consciousness, animal welfare, and sentient minds. Day 1 is a conventional conference; days 2–3 are unconference format. Scholarships and volunteer tickets available.
Seminar · Online
If Consciousness Is Biological, Can AI Be Conscious? — Ned Block
Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy (CMEP)
Public talk by Ned Block exploring whether AI can be conscious if consciousness is biological. Part of the CMEP seminar series on consciousness, sentience, and moral status.
Workshop · In-person
2026 Mind, Ethics, and Policy Summit
Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy (CMEP)
Two-day summit on consciousness, sentience, moral status, and policy for nonhuman minds including AI. Lightning talks, group discussions, and breakout sessions. At capacity.
Seminar · In-person
AI & Consciousness
Jose A. Fernandez Calvo
Philosophical panel exploring whether AI can possess consciousness, examining metaphysical, materialist, and cognitive perspectives through presentations and fireside discussion.
Fellowship · Online
Sentient Futures AI×Animals Fellowship
Sentient Futures
Closed: 15 Mar 2026
Eight-week course at the frontier of AI and animal welfare, with learner and facilitator tracks, covering AI risks, machine learning for animals, and the future of sentient minds.
Seminar · Online
AI Sentience Scholars — Application Support Webinar
Neuromatch
Information webinar covering the AI Sentience Scholars program structure, mentorship model, project options, and selection process.
Job · Online
Rethink Priorities — AI Cognition Initiative & Worldview Investigations
Rethink Priorities
Closed: 12 Jun 2026
Hiring researchers for the AI Cognition Initiative — a technical role on the Digital Consciousness Model and AI risk attitudes, and an economics role on the market for AI companions — plus a researcher on the Worldview Investigations Team.