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Call for Participation & Call for Papers (apologies for multiple copies)

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The 1st International Advanced Course & Symposium on Artificial Intelligence & Neuroscience

October 4-8, 2021 

The Wordsworth Hotel & SPA, Grasmere, Lake District, England – UK

W:  https://acain2021.artificial-intelligence-sas.org

E:  acain@artificial-intelligence-sas.org

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ACAIN.LakeDistrict/

Early Registration (Symposium & Course): by Monday August 9, 2021

PAPER SUBMISSION DEADLINE: by Tuesday June 15, 2021 (Anywhere on Earth)

SCOPE & MOTIVATION:

The ACAIN 2021 symposium is an interdisciplinary event featuring leading scientists from AI and Neuroscience, providing a special opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research in the fields.

The first Advanced Course and Symposium on Artificial Intelligence  & Neuroscience (ACAIN) is a full-immersion five-day residential (or online) Course and Symposium at the Wordsworth Hotel & SPA (Grasmere, Cumbria,  Lake District – England) on cutting-edge advances in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience with lectures delivered by world-renowned experts. The Course provides a stimulating environment for academics, early career researchers, Post-Docs, PhD students and industry leaders. Participants will also have the chance to present their results with oral talks or posters, and to interact with their peers, in a friendly and constructive environment.

Two days of keynote talks and oral presentations, the ACAIN Symposium, (October 7-8), will be preceded by lectures of leading scientists, the ACAIN Course, (October 5-6).

Bringing together AI and neuroscience promises to yield benefits for both fields. The future impact and progress in both AI and Neuroscience will strongly depend on continuous synergy and efficient cooperation between the two research communities. These are the goals of the International Course and Symposium – ACAIN 2021, which is aimed both  at AI experts with interests in Neuroscience and at neuroscientists with an interest in AI.  ACAIN 2021 accepts rigorous research that promotes and fosters multidisciplinary interactions between artificial intelligence and neuroscience.

Nestled within the most idyllic landscapes of England, on the outskirts of Lake District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wordsworth Hotel & SPA – Grasmere, Lake District, England will host the world’s leading scientists and industry experts to discuss scientific challenges amongst a carefully selected number of participants in a unique setting.

For one intense week you will work alongside faculty that are undisputed leaders in their own field. The result is a profound experience that fosters professional and personal development.

In a proven, unique format you will be exposed to a high-impact learning experience, taking you outside the comfort zone of your own technical expertise, that will empower you with new analytical and strategic skills across areas of Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience.

Through an increased awareness of the challenges in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, you will gain a place within an elite global network of experts from both fields, and learn how their skills apply to your own discipline.

The Advanced Course is suited  for younger scholars, academics, early career researchers, Post-Docs, PhD students and industry leaders. Moreover, a significant proportion of seasoned investigators are regularly present among the attendees, often senior faculty at their own institutions. The balanced audience that we strive to maintain in each Advanced Course greatly contributes to the development of intense cross-disciplinary debates among faculty and participants that typically address the most advanced and emerging areas of each topic.

For one entire day, each faculty member will present lectures, and discuss with participants in a smaller, more focused setting. This longer interaction, with an exclusive course size, provides the best opportunity to explore the unique expertise of each distinguished faculty mentor, often through one-on-one mentoring. This is unparalleled and priceless.

The Event (Course and Symposium) will involve a total of 36-40 hours of lectures. Academically, this will be equivalent to 8 ECTS points for the PhD Students and the Master Students attending the Event.

The Wordsworth Hotel & SPA – Grasmere provides the perfect learning atmosphere that is both relaxing, and intellectually stimulating, with a stunning backdrop of the Lake District landscapes. World-class beers (but also wine, there is an interesting selection of award-winning international wines) and traditional foods will make the Advanced Course on Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience the experience of a lifetime!

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

LECTURERS:  

Timothy Behrens, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK

Topics: Computational Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience, Decision Making, Learning Brain Connectivity

Matthew Botvinick, DeepMind, UK

Topics: Artificial Intelligence, Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Science

Claudia Clopath, Computational Neuroscience Lab, Dept of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK

Topics: Computational Neuroscience

Ila Fiete, MIT, USA 

Topics: Theoretical neuroscience, Computational neuroscience, Neural coding

Karl Friston, Institute of Neurology, University College London, UK & Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging

Topics: Neuroscience

Timothy Lillicrap, Google DeepMind & UCL, UK

Topics: Computational Neuroscience

Rosalyn Moran, Department of Neuroimaging, King’s College London, UK

Topics: Computational Neuroscience 

Maneesh Sahani, Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College London, UK

Topics: Theoretical Neuroscience,  Machine Learning

Jane Wang, DeepMind, UK

Topics: neural networks, cognitive neuroscience,  meta-learning, deep reinforcement learning

TUTORIAL SPEAKER(s)

James C.R. Whittington, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, UK

More Speakers to be announced soon!

SYMPOSIUM CALL FOR PAPERS:

SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM COMMITTEE (partial list, confirmed members):

Submission site: hhttps://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=acain2021

SPECIAL SESSION:

“Free Will in Artificial Intelligence: What volition neuroscience says about free behaviour and implications for the design of autonomous artificial intelligence agents”

Organizer and Chair: Catalin Mitelut, Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA

The human capacity for free will or volitional (i.e. voluntary) behaviour has intrigued scientists and philosophers for thousands of years. Over the last few decades, neuroscientists have uncovered many neural correlates of voluntary behaviours and identified several decision stages involving specific neuroanatomy and dynamics (Haggard 2008). While a reward-optimized decision framework lies at the core of most fast decisions it is supported by slower time-course motivational systems that identify long-term needs (e.g. feeding, offspring care; Maslow 1943, Kenrick 2010). In the absence of naturally evolved motivational drives, autonomous general artificial agents will require the design of motivational systems that will pose unique challenges to our understanding of free will while offering creative opportunities.

This symposium seeks submissions focusing on extending evolutionary biology and the neuroscience of volition towards the design of internally motivated, freely behaving autonomous artificial agents.

DEADLINES:

* Paper  Submission (if you want to submit a paper for the Symposium): by Tuesday June 15, 2021

* Notification of Decision for Papers (Symposium): by Friday July 30, 2021

 

* Early Registration (Symposium & Course): by Monday August 9, 2021

* Late Registration (Symposium & Course): from Tuesday August 10, 2021

 

* Oral/Poster Presentation Submission (Course): by Thursday July 15, 2021

* Notification of Decision for Oral/Poster Presentation (Course): by Friday July 30, 2021

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE:

VENUE & ACCOMMODATION:

The Wordsworth Hotel & Spa (****)

Address: Grasmere, Ambleside, Lake District, Cumbria, LA22 9SW, England, UK

P: +44-1539-435592

E: reception@thewordsworthhotel.co.uk

W: www.thewordsworthhotel.co.uk

You need to book your accommodation at the venue and pay the amount for accommodation, meals directly to the Wordsworth Hotel & SPA. 

The Form for accommodation, all meals (all breakfasts, lunches, dinners): TBA

ACCOMMODATION:

ACTIVITIES:

WALKS:

REGISTRATION:

See you in 3D or 2D 🙂 in Lake District in October!

                                 ACAIN 2021 Organizing Committee.

POSTER:

NEWS:

E:  acain@artificial-intelligence-sas.org

FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/669587717185083/

W:  https://acain2021.artificial-intelligence-sas.org