Introduction to Digital Minds
An 8-week online course exploring the perceptions and plausibility of digital minds - and what this may mean for ethics and society.
Applications for our first cohort are now closed. Express interest in future programmes below.
Could digital systems become conscious? How would we know? And what would it mean if they mattered morally - or if millions of people believed this was the case?
Questions like these are moving from philosophy seminars to boardrooms and policy debates, making it increasingly urgent that we engage with them rigorously.
This free, facilitated course equips you to navigate emerging questions around digital minds and prepares you for impactful work in this field.
Fill in the short form below to hear when applications open for future programmes.
What You'll Learn
Developed in collaboration with leading experts from Cambridge, NYU, Oxford, PRISM, Eleos AI, and beyond, this course covers:
Introduction and Moral Standing
What we're talking about when we talk about digital minds, and why it may matter now
Theories of Consciousness
Challenges and theories to understanding consciousness, and how these may or may not apply to artificial systems
Testing for Consciousness and Other Mental States
Current approaches to evaluating consciousness and other mental states, and how to assess the results
Perceptions of Consciousness
How people perceive and relate to AI models, and what the effects and implications of this are
Interactions with AI Safety and Ethics
How perceptions of and consideration for digital minds can both support and create tension with other AI safety and ethics issues
Practical Approaches Under Uncertainty
Practical frameworks for working under uncertainty, and some actions companies are taking now
Digital Minds Governance
Approaches to governing digital minds, from prevention to protection and integration, and how these may play out
Reflections and Next Steps
Drawing together learnings from the course, and identifying useful contributions you could make to the emerging field
Who Should Apply?
We're seeking participants with some grounding in AI and AI safety/ethics (equivalent to completing a BlueDot course or similar), and potential to shape these conversations.
We're hoping to welcome a diverse group of students to the course. Whether you're a researcher, engineer, policymaker, journalist, lawyer or an interested individual, we encourage you to express interest below to hear when applications open for our next programme.
Course Format
Programme
8 Weeks
- Reading 2 hours of reading and preparation per week
- Discussion 1.5 hours of facilitated group discussion each week
- Community Access to a growing community of people studying and working on these questions