Conscientiâ
"Cogito, ergo sum" — but what of the machine intelligence? Conscientiâ invites us to examine not just what we think, but how we think about thinking itself.
Drawing from Descartes' original formulation of the modern term consciousness, Conscientiâ brings together an interdisciplinary community of 20-25 researchers, practitioners, and thinkers at various career stages to fundamentally reimagine how we approach consciousness research in an age of artificial intelligence.
Hosted at the historic Roberto Clemente Museum in Lawrenceville, Conscientiâ was launched in March, 2026 beginning a multi-year initiative to expand the scope, language, and disciplinary boundaries of consciousness studies—integrating insights from natural sciences, phenomenology, metaphysics, and emerging questions around machine consciousness.
The emergence of large language models and other AI systems has forced urgent questions about the nature of consciousness, subjective experience, and the criteria by which we might recognize these phenomena in non-biological systems. Yet these questions cannot be adequately addressed within existing disciplinary silos.
Conscientiâ creates space for genuine interdisciplinary dialogue—moving beyond surface-level collaboration to fundamentally reconsider our frameworks, methods, and assumptions about consciousness itself.
Unlike traditional conferences, Conscientiâ emphasizes deep engagement over presentation:
- Read-Ahead Materials to establish common ground
- Brief Framing Presentations to catalyze discussion
- Facilitated Dialogue as the central activity
- Collaborative Synthesis for broader dissemination
This inaugural event initiated a planned biannual series, each focused on a distinct dimension of consciousness research:
March 2026: Survey, Definitions & Machine Consciousness
Establishing foundational frameworks and engaging with current questions around AI consciousness
September 2026: Workshop Interlude
A review of our March, 2026 meeting and a focus on developing our path forward.
Spring 2027: Neuroscience & Biophysics
Exploring biological mechanisms and physical substrates of consciousness
Fall 2027: Phenomenology
Examining first-person experience, qualia, and subjective dimensions
Spring 2028: Metaphysics
Investigating fundamental questions about the nature of mind, reality, and existence
Fall 2028: Research Hackathon
Collaborative development of experimental approaches to machine consciousness
Conscientiâ is designed for researchers, philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists, AI practitioners, and thinkers who recognize that understanding consciousness requires moving beyond traditional boundaries.
KRF
Supporting innovation at the intersection of science, conservation, and emerging technologies.
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