The AI Sentience Scholars Program offers a curated set of research projects that scholars pursue with mentor support. During recruitment, applicants will be able to review the available projects and indicate the ones that interest them most.
Projects are designed to be feasible within the 6-month program and will be further refined in collaboration with the selected scholar.
We particularly encourage empirical approaches (e.g., behavioral studies, model evaluation, computational experiments, data-driven conceptual analyses), while also welcoming non-empirical tracks such as ethics, governance, and philosophical or cultural perspectives.
Some projects are jointly mentored, allowing scholars to benefit from complementary expertise and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.
How projects are conducted
Projects are collaborative but scholar-driven and are refined together with mentors over the course of the program. Typical structure:
At least two mentor meetings per month (some projects may meet more often)
Independent work between meetings
Brief asynchronous exchanges with mentors for questions or updates (within reasonable availability)
Feedback during workshops and community sessions
Iterative development of research questions, methods, and outputs
The exact workflow may vary depending on the project and research approach.
Final project assignment considers applicant preferences, background, and mentor capacity.
Research Planning
Following scholar–mentor matching, each scholar–mentor team will develop a short Research Plan Confirmation during the first month of the programme.
The purpose of this document is to refine the initial project proposal into a shared roadmap for the six-month research period. The document should be drafted by the scholar and reviewed/approved by the mentor(s). It is intended as a lightweight working plan and may evolve as the project progresses.
Each project is eligible for research support funding (e.g., compute resources, datasets, participant costs, or other project-related expenses). Details: 💰Research Support Funds.