Sybille Krämer

Keynote: “Beyond Human-Machine Competition: A Different Perspective on Artificial Intelligence” (in German)

When machines interact with humans, they do so in a manner fundamentally different from that of humans. This also applies to contemporary artificial intelligence, which represents an alien, non-human form of intelligence and language processing. It was a misunderstanding at the birth of AI—the 1956 Dartmouth Conferences—that the goal of computers was to mimic the human mind. Consequently, a competitive dynamic emerged that, in light of the current successes of artificial intelligence, leads to uncertainty and fears of being overwhelmed.

This lecture attempts to shift our perspective: Artificial Intelligence is evolving into a cultural technique that transforms our ecology of the mind and fundamentally changes our practices of dealing with information and knowledge, just as the introduction of writing and the printing press did in the past. What it means to interpret artificial intelligence as an alien form of dealing with human language, even though it provides highly plausible answers, is analyzed and reflected upon using the large language models of contemporary AI.

Masterclass following the keynote by Prof. Sybille Krämer (in German)

Complementing the keynote address, the masterclass—limited to 25 participants—offers an intensive workshop and discussion format on the topic. It is explicitly open to all faculties and disciplines and provides an opportunity to reflect on one’s own research projects as well as to engage in direct dialogue with the invited speakers.

Recommended reading for the masterclass:

How should the generative power of Large Language Models (LLMs) be interpreted? Do chatbots understand linguistic meaning? In: Philosophy & Digitality Vol 2. No1, 2025

Digitalität kulturtechnisch betrachtet. Wie die ‚Kulturtechnik der Verflachung‘ und zeitgenössische Künstliche Intelligenz zusammenhängen, Zeitschrift für Kulturphilosophie Bd.18, 1, 2025, 93-110.