Centre for Philosophy and AI Research {PAIR}

The Centre for Philosophy and AI Research {PAIR} was established through funding from an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship awarded to Prof. Vincent C. Müller at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU, founded in 1742).

We expect AI to be a major transformative power for human society, but also for philosophy itself. The team at PAIR works on questions concerning the philosophical theory of what AI is, what it could be, and what it should be.

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Research

At PAIR, we seek to advance both intellectual understanding and societal impact through developing a positive vision for the role of AI in society and for philosophy. Our research involves philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, epistemology, normative ethics, meta-ethics, and political and cultural philosophy.

We publish papers in academic journals, such as Analysis, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Cognitive Science, Erkenntnis, Ethics and Information Technology, Inquiry, Mind & Language, Nature, Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, Philosophy & Technology, Science and Engineering Ethics, Synthese, as well as the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Ethics of AI; Enactivism). – We publish books with Cambridge University Press, Felix Meiner, Oxford University Press, and Springer.

We run a Journal, a Society, and a Conference Series on “Philosophy of AI” (PhAI).

We have acquired funding from: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bavarian Ministry of Education, European Commission, German Ministry for Education (BMBF), German Research Fund (DFG), Research Council of Norway, and others.

Collaboration

We are among the leading centres in our field, worldwide, and we cooperate with other centres that work at the intersection of philosophy and AI, especially applied ethics. These collaborations include visiting fellows, workshops and conferences, invited speakers, joint publications, and shared research initiatives. We also work closely with colleagues in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and the social sciences to understand the fundamental problems.

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Academic Environment

We provide a stimulating and supportive research environment in beautiful modern offices located in the centre of Erlangen.

PAIR brings together a team of around a dozen researchers, including both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholars, plus administrators and visiting fellows. We work together as a team, and each of us develops in the team.

The centre shares a building with departments in artificial intelligence, data science, medical informatics, and digital humanities and social sciences, encouraging interdisciplinary exchange. The working language at PAIR is English.

Interested in joining the team? Please explore current opportunities.

How to join PAIR