Project summary

I am applying for funding to support my travel & accommodation so that I can attend a spring school that I am co-organising.

Ethos+Tékhnē is a 3-day spring school on the socioeconomic, legal, & cultural aspects of generative AI.

• Taking place March 3-5, 2025 at Paris Sciences et Lettres

• Main themes: day 1 (political & socioeconomic impacts of generative AI), day 2 (technical & ethical aspects of generative AI), day 3 (EU regulation of generative AI)

• Designed for PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers in computational and social sciences

• Applications are assessed on a rolling basis until January 15, with spaces for 25 in-person & 50 online attendees. Apply here.

Further information about E+T can be found at our website.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Our primary objective is to facilitate meaningful dialogue between technical & social science perspectives on generative AI. The spring school combines:

• Expert lectures from leading researchers

• Interactive panel discussions

• Hands-on technical workshops

• Networking opportunities

Our mandate as organisers spans various administrative, logistical, & budget-related tasks.

How will this funding be used?

This funding is requested to support my travel & accommodation.

• I will be travelling from San Francisco (where I am organising a hackathon at the AI for Animals 2025 conference) to Paris.

• I have been in the midst of a career transition from academia to AI safety since July 2023, during which time I have been entirely self-funded.

• The grant we have secured (see below, How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?) can be used to cover up to €500 of my own travel expenses, but this is unlikely to be enough. At the time of writing, a one-way flight from San Francisco to Paris at the end of February/beginning of March costs between $300-600.

I am requesting a minimum of $500 with a stretch goal of $1000.

• Raising more than $500 USD will afford me greater flexibility in making my travel & accommodation arrangements.

• Any excess funding will be allocated to our bursary to support underfunded students & minorities.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

Our team includes various PhD students & researchers at European institutions. We have organised a previous iteration of this school in Pisa in 2023. A list of team members can be found here. Information on the previous edition of Ethos+Tékhnē can be found here:

• Interview with previous organiser Konstantinos Parginos

• Reflections on the first session of Ethos+Tékhnē presented at the EELISA symposium:

• Comments from Stefano Vrizzi, founder of the first edition (article in French)

I personally have also served as Chief Organiser of the Minorities & Philosophy (MAP) conference Inclusion Beyond Face Value: Metaphilosophy with/of Social Justice in 2021.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The project is already funded. We have secured a venue (Paris Sciences et Lettres), recruited speakers, & our scientific committee is already processing applications from prospective attendees. Thus I think this project is very likely to go ahead.

However, I would like to be present to assist on the ground to make sure things go smoothly, & also to attend some of the sessions.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

Ethos+Tékhnē is supported by a €10000 grant from the European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance (EELISA): https://community.eelisa.eu/final-list-of-proposals-funded-by-joint-call-3/

However, as I am not affiliated with an EELISA institution, the amount that can be used to support my own travel & accommodation is capped at €500.

As it stands, we have allocated the majority of the funding to the cost of speakers’ travel & accommodation, catering, & a bursary for underfunded students.