Project description
Do AI systems generate content?
The question of whether the outputs of AI systems carry meaning, express propositions, or represent objects of the world is intricate. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the AICon project raises three questions: Do mental capacities play a role in producing content? What prerequisites must an entity meet to possess these capacities? Do AI systems exhibit these capacities? Addressing these questions will help explore the potentials and risks associated with AI systems, including their potential role in disseminating propaganda and their ability to develop language. The AICon project’s approach is grounded in the notion that any meaningful conception of 'content' must encompass human speech, images, and artefacts.
Objective
This project asks: do the outputs of machine learning neural net AI systems (henceforth, ‘AI systems’) have contents i.e. do they have meanings, express propositions, or represent objects of the world? It approaches this larger question by dividing it up into three smaller, closely aligned questions: (a) Are mental capacities necessary for producing outputs with content? (b) What does it take for an entity to have those capacities? and, (c) Do AI systems have those capacities? These foundational questions underpin and support several further investigations concerning the potential and threats of AI systems, including their role in spreading propaganda, disinformation, and fake news, and the question of whether AI systems can develop their own language. The project’s main innovation is its humanistic approach — its investigations are guided by the hypothesis that any philosophically interesting notion of ‘content’ must be comprehensible, and apply to human speech, images, and artefacts. The project combines the expertise of the Experienced Researcher (ER) on the semantics of natural language expressions with the current research of the supervisor (Matti Eklund) on ‘alien’ languages (i.e. languages semantically and structurally different from human languages). The project will greatly enhance the ER’s career prospects because of the training and mentorship that the ER will receive as part of the project, and because of the close synergy between the ER’s research focus, the supervisor’s internationally renowned expertise on semantics and metaphysics, and the host organisation’s (Uppsala University) strengths in pragmatics, artificial intelligence, and computational linguistics. Conversely, the ER’s research will enrich and generate substantial added value for the host institution — particularly in the research and academic work on meta-semantics, metaphysics, and the theoretical and practical aspects of AI systems carried out at the host institution.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- humanities languages and literature linguistics
- humanities philosophy, ethics and religion philosophy metaphysics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
751 05 Uppsala
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.