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[Responsible AI] Is AI Consciousness Imminent? Patrick Butlin, Eleos AI Research
by Daniele Quercia Feb. 12, 2026

Feb. 12, 2026

Join Teams<https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/36276359854751?p=M5nrR3CFGIjs5axIIg> Format: 35 min talk + 25 min Q&A Is AI Consciousness Imminent? I will present some key points in the current debate about AI consciousness. I will discuss whether AI consciousness is possible in principle then present arguments for and against consciousness in LLMs and other AI systems. Patrick Butlin is a philosopher of mind and Senior Research Lead at Eleos AI Research. He received his PhD in philosophy from King's College London and has worked at the Future of Humanity Institute and Global Priorities Institute at the University of Oxford. He is known as the lead author of the 2023 report 'Consciousness in Artificial Intelligence: Insights from the Science of Consciousness'. Subscribe to future talk announcements: Anyone outside Bell Labs can receive talk announcements by subscribing to the mailing list. To subscribe, send an empty email with the subject line "Subscribe RAI” to daniele.quercia(a)polito.it

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NEW DEADLINE: 27 February | SWING – School on Internet Governance 20-24 April 2026 @ Bruges
by Mauro SANTANIELLO Feb. 11, 2026

Feb. 11, 2026

*DEADLINE EXTENDED: SWING School on Internet Governance* 📅 *New Application Deadline: 27 February 2026* We're pleased to announce that the application deadline for SWING School on Internet Governance 2026 has been extended to *27 February 2026*. *About SWING School on Internet Governance 2026:* Join us in Bruges, Belgium (20-24 April 2026), at the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS), for an intensive week exploring *Digital Sovereignty, *one of the most pressing issues at the intersection of Internet governance, geopolitics, innovation, and fundamental rights. *Who should apply:* Graduate students, early-career researchers, ICT professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in Internet governance. *What you'll gain:* - Expert-led lectures from internationally renowned scholars; - Interactive lectures on topics including AI, cybersecurity, undersea cables, semiconductors, low earth orbit satellites, and fundamental rights; - Seminars on topics including Digital Sovereignty, EuroStack, the Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty; - Hands-on group work developing policy recommendations; - Networking with peers and multistakeholder discussions. *Key Dates* 27 February 2026 — Application deadline, including fee payment 20–24 April 2026 — SWING 2026 (Bruges, UNU-CRIS) *Core Seminars and Lectures* - Introduction to Digital Sovereignty (seminar) with *Jamal Shahin* - VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS; *Julia Pohle* - WZB, BSoG, CNRS France; *Sophie Hoogenboom* - UNU-CRIS, VUB; *Chris Mondini *- ICANN. - From Governance to Sovereignty (seminar) with *Jamal Shahin* - VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS; *Mauro Santaniello *- University of Salerno, UNU-CRIS; *Julia Pohle* - WZB, BSoG, CNRS France. - EuroStack: European Digital Sovereignty (seminar) with *Paul Timmers* - KU Leuven, European University Cyprus; *Niels ten Oever* - University of Amsterdam; more TBA - Digital Sovereignty and Competitiveness with *Orsolya Gulyas* - Brussels School of Governance - The Impact of Digital Sovereignty on the Internet with *Azadeh Akbari *- Center for critical computational studies, Goethe University Frankfurt. - Digital Sovereignty and Fundamental Rights with *Marianne Franklin* - University of Groningen. - Indigenous Data Sovereignty with *Claudia Padovani* - University of Padova. - Digital Sovereignty and Undersea Cables with *Kavé Salamatian* - Polytech Annecy-Chambéry. - Digital Sovereignty and Semiconductors with *Linda Monsees* - Institute of International Relations Prague. - Digital Sovereignty and Artificial Intelligence with *Nicola Palladino* - University of Salerno. - Digital Sovereignty and LEOs (Low Earth Orbit satellites) with *Berna Akçalı Gür* - Queen Mary University of London, UNU-CRIS. - Internet Governance: Conflicts and Cooperation with *Jan Aart Scholte *- Leiden University. - The Geopolitics of Digital Sovereignty (seminar) with *Kseniia Ermoshina* - CNRS, France; *Grace X. Yang* - Freie Universität Berlin; more TBA. *Registration* To register, applicants will be asked to submit: - Curriculum Vitae (CV) - Completed application form (template <https://cris.unu.edu/sites/cris.unu.edu/files/SWING_2026_Registration_Form%…> ) - Copy of a valid ID document (passport or national identity card) - Proof of payment of the participation fee (receipt/confirmation) *Participation Fee and What It Covers* The participation fee is 800,00 € and includes: - Registration costs - Meals provided during the School programme - Social event(s) The participation fee does not include: - Accommodation Although students are required to provide for their own accommodation, SWING has an agreement with a local hotel that is willing to provide a reduced fare for the students of the school. Details will be provided after a successful registration. - Dinners *Scientific Committee* *Co-directors: *Mauro Santaniello (University of Salerno, UNU-CRIS) and Jamal Shahin (VUB, UVA, UNU-CRIS). *Scientific Advisory Board: *Andrea Beccalli (ICANN), Dennis Broeders (Leiden University), Edoardo Celeste (Dublin City University), Philippe De Lombaerde (UNU-CRIS), Sophie Hoogenboom (UNU-CRIS, VUB), Robin Mansell (London School of Economics), Francesca Musiani (CNRS), Nicola Palladino (University of Salerno), Dennis Redeker (University of Bremen) and Riccardo Nanni (CNRS). *Organizing Committee: *Sophie Hoogenboom (UNU-CRIS, VUB), Carlos Andres Fonseca Diaz (Ghent University, UNU-CRIS), Armando Antonio Ferrara (University of Salerno), Chiara Spiniello (University of Salerno) and Stephanie Teeuwen (VUB). *More information on the programme, faculty and registration*: https://cris.unu.edu/swing-school-on-internet-governance *For further information about the School and registration, please contact Sophie Hoogenboom at *shoogenboom(a)cris.unu.edu.

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AGI : A Guy Instead
by maurizio lana Feb. 11, 2026

Feb. 11, 2026

Waymo self-driving cars, powered by AGI — A Guy Instead https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/02/09/waymo-self-driving-cars-powered-by-agi-a… oltre all'interesse per l'articolo (da leggere, perché ci sono sviluppi dopo il 2018), mi pare un bel modo di sciogliere l'acronimo - AGI a Guy Instead Maurizio ------------------------------------------------------------------------ e mentre le stagioni vanno e vengono, incontro foglie e petali che svengono e mi chiedo spalancando la finestra quale vita può competere con questa. vad vuc, petali e föi ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maurizio Lana

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Nuovo articolo, The imaginary patient. Fantastic health data and where to find them
by Daniela Tafani Feb. 11, 2026

Feb. 11, 2026

Buongiorno, ho appena pubblicato un articolo sui chatbot e la medicina e vi sarei molto grata di qualsiasi osservazione. The imaginary patient. Fantastic health data and where to find them <https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/en/2026/01/the-imaginary-patient/> Abstract In the name of an upcoming AI revolution in healthcare and of chatbots and ‘agentic AI’ allegedly capable of providing health advice, the US, international institutions, and the European Commission are pushing for the digitisation of clinical and health data. Unfortunately, ‘digitisation’ is just a new name for mass surveillance, there is no such a thing as ‘agentic AI’ and those surveilling us are not interested in making healthcare more accessible or personalised, which would simply require hiring more healthcare personnel. At best, a machine learning system capable of tracking correlations can be an auxiliary tool in medicine. An extruder of probable text strings can only make us imagine that we are in a doctor–patient relationship, but what a doctor does is certainly not autocomplete. A chatbot is therefore both useless and dangerous, if the objective is healthcare. However, a private healthcare company whose goal is to increase quarterly dividends may consider a chatbot to be a useful cost-reduction tool. Within an instrumental rationality, a healthcare company may find it rational to replace doctors with chatbots, just as it would find it rational to feed prisoners dog food if it ran a prison. After all, financial analysts who think in terms of business logic are seriously asking themselves whether treating patients is a sustainable business model. Announcements of an AI-based healthcare revolution have no scientific basis. However, they are deeply rooted in sectors that are heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry and technology companies. Here, the interest in promises of automation, in dehumanising patients, in commodifying health and in destroying public healthcare systems converge with the surveillance, control, manipulation and domination goals of the US military–industrial complex. Even if it cannot cure us, generative AI is perfect for all these purposes. Un saluto, Daniela

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Verso un’austerity dei diritti digitali (e non solo)
by de petra giulio Feb. 11, 2026

Feb. 11, 2026

Invio il link a un articolo di Maurizio Borghi che esamina le conseguenze del ‘Digital Omnibus’, in particolare sul GDPR Centro per la Riforma dello Stato Verso un’austerity dei diritti digitali (e non solo) https://share.google/nuexHBg0XeKfYqoym

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Re: [nexa] nexa Digest, Vol 202, Issue 9
by Junio Caselli Feb. 10, 2026

Feb. 10, 2026

Ciao Daniela, ho molto apprezzato il fatto che sposti il problema su un piano epistemologico e condivido che per la clinica il paradigma indiziario sia più indicato dei big data. Sono entrambe scelte rare e preziose. (Junio • Pisa) > Il giorno 10 feb 2026, alle ore 12:00, nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it ha scritto: > > Send nexa mailing list submissions to > nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://server-nexa.polito.it/mailman/listinfo/nexa > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > You can reach the person managing the list at > nexa-owner(a)server-nexa.polito.it > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of nexa digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Nuovo articolo, The imaginary patient. Fantastic health data > and where to find them (Daniela Tafani) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2026 14:01:41 +0000 > From: Daniela Tafani <daniela.tafani(a)unipi.it> > To: nexa <nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it> > Subject: [nexa] Nuovo articolo, The imaginary patient. Fantastic > health data and where to find them > Message-ID: > <PAWPR07MB955898E81E7F5A2B86BFAD35F365A(a)PAWPR07MB9558.eurprd07.prod.outlook.com> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" > > Buongiorno, > > ho appena pubblicato un articolo sui chatbot e la medicina > e vi sarei molto grata di qualsiasi osservazione. > > The imaginary patient. Fantastic health data and where to find them > <https://btfp.sp.unipi.it/en/2026/01/the-imaginary-patient/> > > Abstract > In the name of an upcoming AI revolution in healthcare and of chatbots and ‘agentic AI’ allegedly capable of providing health advice, the US, international institutions, and the European Commission are pushing for the digitisation of clinical and health data. > Unfortunately, ‘digitisation’ is just a new name for mass surveillance, there is no such a thing as ‘agentic AI’ and those surveilling us are not interested in making healthcare more accessible or personalised, which would simply require hiring more healthcare personnel. > At best, a machine learning system capable of tracking correlations can be an auxiliary tool in medicine. An extruder of probable text strings can only make us imagine that we are in a doctor–patient relationship, but what a doctor does is certainly not autocomplete. A chatbot is therefore both useless and dangerous, if the objective is healthcare. However, a private healthcare company whose goal is to increase quarterly dividends may consider a chatbot to be a useful cost-reduction tool. Within an instrumental rationality, a healthcare company may find it rational to replace doctors with chatbots, just as it would find it rational to feed prisoners dog food if it ran a prison. After all, financial analysts who think in terms of business logic are seriously asking themselves whether treating patients is a sustainable business model. > Announcements of an AI-based healthcare revolution have no scientific basis. However, they are deeply rooted in sectors that are heavily funded by the pharmaceutical industry and technology companies. Here, the interest in promises of automation, in dehumanising patients, in commodifying health and in destroying public healthcare systems converge with the surveillance, control, manipulation and domination goals of the US military–industrial complex. > Even if it cannot cure us, generative AI is perfect for all these purposes. > > Un saluto, > Daniela > > ------------------------------ > > Subject: Digest Footer > > _______________________________________________ > nexa mailing list > nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > https://server-nexa.polito.it/mailman/listinfo/nexa > > > ------------------------------ > > End of nexa Digest, Vol 202, Issue 9 > ************************************

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MEMENTO | 191° Mercoledì di Nexa | 11 febbraio 2026
by Nexa - Media Feb. 9, 2026

Feb. 9, 2026

Gentilissime, gentilissimi, Vi ricordiamo che mercoledì 11 febbraio, alle ore 17.00, si terrà il 191° Mercoledì di Nexa con un incontro dal titolo "Un’alternativa al capitalismo digitale? Confini e traiettorie delle piattaforme cooperative". Ospite dell'incontro: Stefano Tortorici (Scuola Normale Superiore e Centro Nexa). L'incontro si terrà IN PRESENZA e ONLINE. SEDE FISICA dell'incontro: Centro Nexa su Internet e Società, Politecnico di Torino, Via Boggio 65/a, Torino (1° piano). Per accedere alla sala si raccomanda di suonare al citofono Portineria e di seguire le indicazioni segnalate lungo il percorso. QUI<https://nexa.polito.it/contatti> maggiori informazioni su come raggiungerci. STANZA VIRTUALE dell'incontro: https://didattica.polito.it/VClass/NexaEvent Maggiori informazioni alla pagina: https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-191 Un saluto cordiale, -- Valeria Bergantino Communication Manager Nexa Center for Internet & Society<web:%20https://nexa.polito.it> DAUIN - Politecnico di Torino Via Pier Carlo Boggio, 65/a – Torino Digital Communication Assistant DAUIN - Politecnico di Torino<https://www.dauin.polito.it> Corso Castelfidardo 34/D - Torino mail: valeria.bergantino(a)polito.it<mailto:valeria.bergantino@polito.it> tel: 3473443585

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Abbiamo bombardato dove ha detto il sistema.
by Junio Cristiano Caselli Feb. 7, 2026

Feb. 7, 2026

“Abbiamo bombardato dove ha detto il sistema.” “È il sistema che dice che lei non è idoneo.” “Il sistema dice che la dobbiamo trattenere.” Ho provato a chiarire cosa accade alla decisione umana e al potere quando l’intelligenza artificiale linguistica occupa il posto funzionale del soggetto responsabilizzabile: non per ciò che è, ma per come viene trattata nell’interazione, come un soggetto in cui è psicologicamente accettabile fermarsi nel risalire la catena delle responsabilità. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18505182

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Segnalazione per i nexiani romani
by Dario Guarascio Feb. 6, 2026

Feb. 6, 2026

Locandina 19 febbraio.pdf <https://drive.google.com/file/d/19Ba9lBUs4_bn6pe1RoGJFH8-aRQSeEIP/view?usp=…> Il 19 febbraio dalle 17.45 presso la libreria Moby Dick prima discussione pubblica di Imperialismo digitale. A presto, Dario *Dario Guarascio* Dipartimento di Economia e Diritto, Sapienza Università di Roma <http://www.uniroma1.it/strutture/dipartimenti> Via del Castro Laurenziano n° 9, 00161 Roma Edificio A (6° piano) -ala B, stanza n° 606 E-mail: dario.guarascio(a)uniroma1.it <nome.cognome(a)uniroma1.it> *Sito web* italiano - https://sites.google.com/a/uniroma1.it/darioguarascio/ inglese - https://sites.google.com/a/uniroma1.it/darioguarascio-eng/ -- *Fai crescere le giovani ricercatrici e i giovani ricercatori*** *con il 5 per mille alla Sapienza* Scrivi il codice fiscale dell'Università *80209930587 **Cinque per mille <https://www.uniroma1.it/it/node/23149>*

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Vibe Coding Kills Open Source
by Giacomo Tesio Feb. 6, 2026

Feb. 6, 2026

Generative AI is changing how software is produced and used. In vibe coding, an AI agent builds software by selecting and assembling open-source software (OSS), often without users directly reading documentation, reporting bugs, or otherwise engaging with maintainers. We study the equilibrium effects of vibe coding on the OSS ecosystem. We develop a model with endogenous entry and heterogeneous project quality in which OSS is a scalable input into producing more software. Users choose whether to use OSS directly or through vibe coding. Vibe coding raises productivity by lowering the cost of using and building on existing code, but it also weakens the user engagement through which many maintainers earn returns. When OSS is monetized only through direct user engagement, greater adoption of vibe coding lowers entry and sharing, reduces the availability and quality of OSS, and reduces welfare despite higher productivity. Sustaining OSS at its current scale under widespread vibe coding requires major changes in how maintainers are paid. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.15494 Analisi interessante che propone un modello economico dell'opensource e ne deriva alcune previsioni verificabili nel medio periodo. Un aspetto che non considera (perché cibernetico, non economico) è la facilità con cui sarà possibile introdurre vulnerabilità nel software prodotto con questi strumenti, sia open source, sia quello proprietario che lo utilizza. Il costo degli attacchi alla supply chain si sta riducendo mentre il loro impatto e la difficoltà di identificarli cresce. Nei prossimi anni ci sarà da divertirsi... :-) Giacomo

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