Graduate School

Date: 9-11 March 2026
Location: Humanisthuset, HUM H119 Umeå University
Examination: Oral presentation
Course coordinator: Dimitri Coelho Mollo, Helena Lindgren and Christian Loew
Registration: Before 15 January 2026

Course information

The course contains lectures, group discussions, and exercises to bring students up to speed on fundamental issues about AI systems and AI as a scientific field. We will examine historically influential approaches to AI before exploring current AI systems and, in particular, Large Language Models (LLM). The focus will be on issues such as:

the theoretical background of LLMs, as well as the basics of their training and functioning;

• the challenges and methods to explain how they work in detail;
• what, if anything, they can reveal about language and cognition;
• whether AI systems can count as agents and have mental states;
• the ethical issues that the production and use of current AI systems raise

The first half-day and the morning of the second day have most of the lectures, focused on the theoretico-philosophical and ethical foundations of AI;

The afternoon of day 2 is dedicated to Helena’s hands-on workshop; and the third half-day is dedicated to groupwork, group presentations, and wrap-up.

Day 1: 12-18 (including lunch 12-13)

Day 2: 8.30-17.30

Day 3: 8.00-13.30 (including lunch and poster session 12.30-13.30)

Literature: required reading will take the form of articles shared in advance with the students.

Registration