Supervisors Dr Ian van der Linde and Dr Michael Wilby.

A topic of considerable interest is how positions concerning free will may be interpreted in an era of increasingly advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Free will can be defined as the ability to have done otherwise: having made a decision to take an action, was it possible for us to have chosen to take a different action, such that the decision was up to the chooser?

Some positions include: (i) that brains follow the deterministic laws of physics so free will cannot exist (hard determinism); (ii) that physics comprises deterministic laws and probabilistic processes (quantum mechanics) but free will still cannot exist since probabilistic processes are likewise not under our control (hard incompatibilism); (iii) that brains are deterministic/probabilistic, but that free will (often redefined, such as simply requiring that we are reasons-responsive or that we can act independently of coercion) exists via unknown, possibly emergent, mechanisms (compatibilism); and (iv) that brains can initiate new thoughts ab initio, independently of deterministic and/or indeterministic physics, via unknown mechanisms or dualism (libertarianism).

The applicant will develop a proposal examining how AI on deterministic computers, which increasingly provide a simulacrum of human reasoning, can inform this debate and how the positions outlined above might be applied to computational intelligence.

Funding Details:

Tuition fees up to the value of the national UKRI rate for Home students; international students are welcome to apply but will need additional scholarships, from alternative sources, to fund the remainder of their fees and any immigration costs;

An annual tax-free stipend at the UKRI rate (£19,237 in 24/25 for full time students), and a contribution towards research and training costs;

A personalised training programme, to develop research, communication, employability and personal skills;

Support to carry out a required three-month placement, known as an Innovation Fellowship, with an academic or non-academic partner during the course of the studentship.

Some more details on the post can be found here: https://www.esrcdtp.group.cam.ac.uk/programme/phd-funding-opportunities/

Deadline:

The deadline to apply is Sunday 15 December 2024. If you are made an offer of admission, your Department will decide whether to nominate you for CAM-DTP funding in February 2025.