Conference on Artificial Intelligence: Two days of interdisciplinary dialogue at the Ionian University

The international conference on artificial intelligence Re-examining AI/Rethinking Modernity, held on 22–23 October at the Ionian Academy, brought together more than 130 participants in the audience and 46 speakers from 10 countries (Greece, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Poland, the United States, South Africa, and China), representing a broad range of academic disciplines and research fields.

The conference was organised by the Department of History and Digital Humanities of the Ionian University, the AICENE research project (A(I)nthropology during the Anthropocene: Hybrid Research and Creative Pedagogy at the Limits of the Human), and the Political Philosophy and Digital Technologies Lab. The event, which was part of the AICENE project, was funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI project code 23539).

The conference opened with addresses by prof. Andreas Floros, Rector of the Ionian University; prof. Stefanos Vlachopoulos, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; prof. Constantinos Sbonias, Head of the Department of History and Digital Humanities; and ass. prof. Anna Apostolidou, Head of the AICENE research project.

Across two days of presentations and discussions, the conference examined the rise of artificial intelligence through interdisciplinary perspectives extending beyond its technological dimensions. Contributions from philosophy, digital humanities, anthropology, political theory, history, psychology, epistemology, and the arts addressed questions concerning AI and democracy, human subjectivity, creativity, knowledge, algorithmic governance, and the changing relationship between humans and technology. The programme also featured keynote lectures by prof. Agostino Cera, “Vivo, ergo cogito: on A(I)poria (AI as an impossible metaphor),” and prof. Nathan Ross, “Thinking in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility.”

The discussions were marked by active audience participation and a shared interest in critically examining the conceptual, cultural, political, and ethical implications of AI. By bringing together researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, the conference highlighted the contribution of the humanities and social sciences to ongoing debates about AI and the future of the human condition.

We warmly thank all speakers, keynote lecturers, chairs, organisers, technicians, and everyone who attended and contributed to the discussions, making the conference a vivid and valuable platform for interdisciplinary exchange.