Calendar6-8 September 2025 Venice, ItalyVenice, Italy

EMERGE and VALAWAI projects invite you to share a weekend at and near the Biennale in Venice to reflect on the nature of awareness through science, technology and art. There will be four activities: An art-science installation, a symposium, the opening of an interactive exhibit, and a hands-on workshop.

The gathering aims to bring together experts in philosophy, art, AI and robotics, along with experts in science communication and the public to brainstorm how we can communicate complex topics such as awareness in natural and artificial agents through art, play, and narratives. It features an artwork at the Biennale exploring self-awareness in a fully embodied android robot, a symposium on awareness in AI, the launch of the interactive N-Odes exhibit exploring collective awareness, and a full-day workshop on science communication of awareness.

We expect this workshop will be exciting for the public, early-career researchers (MSCs, PhD students and Postdocs) as well as experts in science communication interested in art and AI awareness. The gathering is also an opportunity for members of the EIC Pathfinder portfolio "Awareness Inside" to refine the basic concepts of the portfolio and to create networks between projects.

PROGRAM

A. SATURDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER

11:00 am - 20:00 pm: Visit to the curator exhibition and the art-science installation "Am I a strange loop?" by Takashi Ikegami and Luc Steels.

1:30 - 5 pm: Symposium "Will the AI-powered robots of the future be self-aware?" at the speaker's corner at the Arsenale.

Location: Venice Biennale, Arsenale, Campo de la Tana, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy.

> Biennale ticket needed (available here).

B. SUNDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER

4:00 - 9:00 pm: Launch of N-Odes interactive exhibit and reception.

Location: Venice International University, Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy.

> Register here.

C. MONDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER

9:30 am - 4:00 pm: Workshop on Communicating about Awareness in Artificial Agents.

Location: Venice International University, Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy.

> Registration needed. Register here. 

> Would you like to exhibit, demonstrate or present your AI / robot / art during the workshop? Submit your work here. 


DETAILED PROGRAM

A. SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

11:00 am - 20:00 pm: Art-science installation "Am I a Strange Loop?"

Alter3 is an android robot developed by the University of Tokyo. It innovates in many ways, including the deep integration of ChatGPT4 for sustaining a multi-lingual dialog and for self-programming. The overall architecture of Alter3's mind is inspired by Minsky's Society of Mind theory. The robot can be seen live at the Arsenale as part of the Venice Biennale. Visitors can interact with the robot in the language of their choice and form an idea how intelligent and convincing its reactions are and whether or not they see inklings of artificial (self-)awareness. The production team consists of Takashi Ikegami, Guido Lucassen, John Smith, Luc Steels, Takahide Yoshida.

1:30 - 5:00 pm: Symposium "Will the AI-powered Robots of the Future be Self-aware?

In the near future AI-powered humanoid robots may co-exist with us. What will these robots be like? Will they have some form of awareness of their own bodies and thinking? Will they have a personality, a narrative self, with moral and emotional facets? Can such robots ever be trusted, or will they inevitably start scheming against us?

Moderator: Oscar Villaroya, Autonomous University and IMIM Barcelona.

1:30 - 3:00 pm: Stanislas De Haene, Collège de France; Takashi Ikegami, University of Tokyo; Luc Steels, University of Brussels

3:30 - 4:30 pm: Thomas Metzinger, University of Mainz ; Stefano Nolfi, CNR, Rome

4:30 - 5:00 pm: Ricardo Manzotti, IULM Milan; Massimo Warglien, Ca'Foscari University Venice.

Location: Venice Biennale, Arsenale + Speaker’s Corner, Campo de la Tana, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy. Biennale ticket needed (available here).

The installation and symposium take place in the context of the VALAWAI (Value-awareness in AI) project which aims to develop frameworks for introducing awareness in artificial systems to make them abide more to values. The project is developing applications for social media, social robots, and medical decision support systems. The development of Alter3 is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

B. SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER

4:00 - 9:00 pm: N-Odes Exhibit Launch

N-Odes is an interactive sound and light installation that invites audiences into a shared dialogue with a swarm of intelligent orbs. Each orb responds to movement, expressing its orientation through shifting patterns of light and sound. As visitors engage -spinning, tilting, or synchronising their actions - the orbs react both individually and collectively, communicating with one another to reflect the emerging harmony or dissonance within the group. Suspended overhead, a large canopy of orbs dynamically interacts with and shapes the collective audio-visual experience. Powered by evolutionary algorithms, the system generates an immersive, continuously evolving experience shaped by the dynamic interplay between the participant and artificial entities. The installation functions as both an artistic expression and a living research environment - intended to adapt and grow over time. It serves as a showcase for insights from the research and as a platform for further experimentation and public engagement.

Location: Venice International University, Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy. Register here.

This exhibit is based on the EMERGE (Emergent Awareness from Minimal Collectives) project which aims to develop new theoretical and technological frameworks to enable collaborative awareness in artificial collectives. It is founded on the concept that complex collective behaviours and patterns can emerge from simple rules and local interactions. This multidisciplinary work spans swarm robotics, philosophy, and AI research, bridging theory with real-world applications. The exhibit was created by Tom Didiot-Cook, Johanna Blee, and Razanne Abu-Aisheh, Nadine Meertens, Ophelia Deroy and Sabine Hauert.

C. MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER

9:30 am - 4:00 pm: Workshop on Communicating about Awareness in Artificial Agents.

This full-day workshop on science communication of awareness brings together experts in philosophy, art, AI and robotics, along with experts in science communication and the public to brainstorm how we can communicate complex topics such as awareness in natural and artificial agents through art, play, and narratives. We expect the workshop will be exciting for early-career researchers (MSCs, PhD students and Postdocs) as well as experts in science communication and the public interested in art and AI awareness.

Keynote: Takashi Ikegami in conversation with Yuko Hasegawa (University of Tokyo).

Presentation: Luc Steels and Oscar Villaroya, "Using opera to raise issues about a robot self and the ethics of uploading minds.”

+ Presentations

Making N-Odes: Tom Didiot-Cook, Johanna Blee, Razanne Abu-Aisheh, Nadine Meertens

+ Demonstrations and flash talks, Science Communication Training: Best Practice in Communicating AI, Hands-on sessions designing new interventions to communicate awareness in AI, Network and community building.

Location: Venice International University, Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy. Registration needed (Click here, Ticket Price: 30 EUR). 

Would you like to exhibit, demonstrate or present your AI / robot / art during the workshop? Submit your work here.