6-8 September 2025
The Biennale, Arsenal, Venice Italy
We invite you to spend a weekend in and around 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, a festive opening of an art 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.
The gathering 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 early-career researchers (MScs, PhD students and Postdocs) as well as experts in science communication and the public interested in art and AI awareness. The gathering is also an opportunity for portfolio members to refine the basic concepts of the portfolio and to create networks between projects.
A. SATURDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER Venice Biennale, Arsenale.
From 11:00 am. Visit to the curator exhibition and the art-science installation ‘Am I a strange loop?’ by Takashi Ikegami and Luc Steels
1:30pm-5pm: Symposium at the speaker’s corner at the Arsenale. Will the AI-powered robots of the future be self-aware?
➡️ To participate you need access to the Biennale with a ticket available here: https://www.labiennale.org/en/tickets
B. SUNDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER Venice, San Servolo island
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Launch of interactive exhibit and reception. N-Odes (University of Bristol)
C. MONDAY 8 SEPTEMBER Venice International University Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy http://www.univiu.org/
9:30am – 4pm: Hands-on workshop on Communicating about Awareness in Artificial Agents
➡️ To attend the workshop you need to register here: LINK EVENTBRITE by 20 August – Price: 30 EUR We will be providing coffee and food throughout the day: LINK EVENTBRITE
➡️ Would you like to exhibit, demonstrate or present your AI / robot / art during the workshop? Please fill in this short form: GOOGLE FORM Deadline: August 15
DETAILS:
A. SATURDAY 6 SEPTEMBER
1. Art-science installation: AM I A STRANGE LOOP? (from 11:00 am to 20:00 pm) Location: Venice Biennale (Arsenale)
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.
2. Symposium: WILL THE AI-POWERED ROBOTS OF THE FUTURE BE SELF-AWARE? Location: Venice Biennale (Arsenale, Speaker’s Corner)
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?
Program
- Moderator: Oscar Villaroya, Autonomous University and IMIM Barcelona.
- Speakers: Part 1. (1:30-3:00) Stanislas De Haene, Collège de France; Takashi Ikegami, University of Tokyo; Luc Steels, University of Brussels Part 2. (3:30-4:30) Thomas Metzinger, University of Mainz ; Stefano Nolfi, CNR, Rome Discussion.(4:30-5:00) Ricardo Manzotti, IULM Milan; Massimo Warglien, Ca’Foscari University Venice.
Context: The installation and symposium takes place in the context of an ongoing research project VALAWAI (Value-awareness in AI) 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 4pm – 9pm N-Odes launch with interactive exhibit, drinks and canapés Team: Tom Didiot-Cook, Johanna Blee, and Razanne Abu-Aisheh, University of Bristol.
N-ODES
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.
Context: This exhibit is based on the ongoing research project EMERGE (Emergent Awareness from Minimal Collectives) 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.
C. MONDAY 9:30-4:00 pm Workshop: COMMUNICATING AWARENESS IN ARTIFICIAL AGENTS
Location: Venice International University Isola di San Servolo, 30133 Venezia VE, Italy http://www.univiu.org/
Program Keynote: Takashi Ikegami in conversation with Yuko Hasegawa (University of Tokyo).
- Presentations
- 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