CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND THOUGHT

Welcome to the Center for Science and Thought

The Center for Science and Thought (CST) is a radically interdisciplinary platform designed to address urgent questions that arise at the intersection of philosophy and various natural sciences.
The CST is located at Konrad-Zuse-Platz 1-3, 53227 Bonn.

Current News of the CST


Hanna Barakat  & Archival Images of AI + AIxDESIGN
© Hanna Barakat & Archival Images of AI + AIxDESIGN

18-20 May, 2026, Conference at the University of Bonn

We are interested in a wide variety of approaches to the subject of irrationality, language, ethics and the future of human expression in the Age of AI. Our conference will explore the role of affective computing, emotionally laden human-machine interaction, conversational AI models, reinforcement algorithms, and recommender systems in the wake of the LLM revolution. 

Deadline: December 01, 2025

More information3

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© Clarote & AI4Media / Better Images of AI / Labour/Resources / CC-BY 4.0

On May 29, 2025, the seminar series titled Cross-Cultural Approaches to Desirable AI received the AI ELSI Award (Perspective Division) from the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence (JSAI). 

More information4

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© Elise Racine / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

30. June / 01. July 2025 at Center for Science and Thought, University of Bonn

How and why is the relationship between freedom and unfreedom changing in our technologized present? And what visions of the future can we imagine through feminist approaches?

We will explore these questions over the course of the symposium Technological Futures Now: Racism, Imperialism, and the Surrogate Human Effect (June 30/ July 1 at CST, University of Bonn) together with Visiting Professors Neda Atanasoski and Kalindi Vora and international guest speakers (Nishant Shah, Erin McElroy and others, tba).

More information5

Here you can find additional news6.

Events of the CST


Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Desirable AI

September 15 2025 @IZPH

This workshop explores how emerging technologies can move beyond minimal compliance to foster reliability and sustainable practices. We bring together experts to explore key issues at the intersection of ethics, governance, and technology, featuring a presentation of the GAIA Report, followed by two panel discussions.

More Information7

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© ChrisW

September 10 - 12 2025 @CST

From September 10 till 12 2025 the philosophy team of "Zertifizierte KI" will host their final conference at the CST and online. We are looking forward to discussing our project results with you. 

More Information8

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Elise Racine / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

June 30 & July 01 2025 @CST

This two-day symposium takes Surrogate Humanity: Race, Robots, and the Politics of Technological Futures by Kalindi Vora and Neda Atanasoski as a generative starting point for urgent feminist and antiracist conversations about technology in our current moment.

More Information5

Here you can find more events9.

Research of the CST

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© pixbay

Certified AI10

The aim of the project is to develop procedures to examine generally accepted standards for AI systems and their verification, as well as to explore business models for an AI certification. Our research investigates the ethical-philosophical significance of these dimensions.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Dorian Peters/LCFI

Desirable Digitalisation11

Rethinking AI for Just and Sustainable Futures.
We investigate how to design AI (artificial intelligence) and other digital technologies in a responsible way, placing the questions of social justice and environmental sustainability at the very heart of our work.

Our research program is a collaboration between the Universities of Cambridge and Bonn and numerous international partners, and is funded by the Mercator Foundation in Germany.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© public domain

Borderline Consciousness12

The 'Towards New Demarcation Criteria for Borderline Consciousness' Project is an interdisciplinary project involving a collaboration between philosophers of Bonn and Cambridge and neuroscientists from the epilepsy clinic in Bonn. Its main purpose is to create an international research forum to develop new criteria for determining whether and when non-human entities, such as non-linguistic animals, new brain organisms, or advanced AI systems can be considered conscious.

You can find more information about our research projects here.13


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© Hanna Barakat & Cambridge Diversity Fund

We connect female* students, scientists at all career levels as well as employees from technology and administration who research and work in various disciplines on artificial intelligence (AI) at the University of Bonn.

Our goal is to bring women* at the University of Bonn together, increase their visibility and engage in a critical exchange about AI. As a female* network, “Feminist AI” supports the interdisciplinary dialog on artificial intelligence and contributes to the strengthening of female* researchers at the University of Bonn. 
The network is supported by the Equal Opportunities Office of the University of Bonn with funds from the Fund for the Promotion of the Structural Anchoring of Gender Equality.

More Information14

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© Pixabay

You can find a selection of publications here15.

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© Freepik

Register here here16 for our AI-Mailinglist. 

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