Artificial
Consciousness
Initiative
The Artificial Consciousness Initiative is a three-year pilot project at the University of Toronto, launching in Fall 2026, that advances research connecting artificial intelligence and consciousness.
01The Initiative
As artificial intelligence grows more powerful and flexible, questions about artificial minds that were once speculative are becoming pressing across academic, tech, and policy spheres. The Artificial Consciousness Initiative gathers together researchers—led by a core team of philosophers at the University of Toronto—to pursue these questions. The principal research areas of the initiative can be divided into theoretical and practical questions.
Supported by Longview Philanthropy
- How could we tell whether an AI system is conscious?
- What would artificial experiences be like?
- How can we model the experiences of artificial systems?
- What is the ethical status of artificial systems?
- What is the right theory of AI welfare?
- What risks come with increasingly capable AI?
02Core Team
The core team has expertise spanning the philosophy of mind, value theory, decision theory, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.
Andrew Y. Lee
Project Lead
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
The structure of consciousness, mathematical phenomenology, and the ethics of consciousness
Gwen Bradford
Core Member
Chancellor Jackman Professor in Philosophy
Value theory and normative ethics — well-being and ill-being, the nature of pain, and the value of consciousness
Christian Tarsney
Core Member
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Ethics and decision theory — moral status and choice under deep uncertainty, population ethics, and the philosophy of AI
Karina Vold
Core Member
Associate Professor, Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology
Philosophy of cognitive science and AI — the capacities and limits of machine minds, AI safety, and governance
03Project
What the project supports
A postdoctoral fellowship supporting an early-career researcher working across the focal areas
Workshops, a speaker series, and a works-in-progress group
Collaborations with external institutes, building a research network beyond Toronto
04Events
What’s coming up
Workshop on Philosophy of AI and Science — Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto
A joint workshop with the AI & Humanity Lab at the University of Hong Kong
A graduate student workshop at the University of Toronto
A joint workshop on AI population ethics with the Center for Mind, Ethics & Policy at New York University