Seminar Tübingen-Nancy
Philosophical aspects of computer sciences – Ethics, Norms & Responsibility – 2025-2026
Second season
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Upcoming session
Tuesday December 18th, 2025, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM CET
Dr. Vlasta Sikimić
Eindhoven University of Technology
When machines judge science
The use of generative AI in grant review is gaining traction. Some grant awarding bodies are already experimenting with it. It promises speed, efficiency, and consistency. AI can process large volumes of proposals and apply uniform criteria. In this way, it may reduce the burden on reviewers and even increase transparency in the process. Yet serious concerns remain. Scientific success is difficult to predict. AI models rely on curated data, which may reinforce existing biases. Full automation risks overlooking core values in science, such as diversity and epistemic inclusion. Furthermore, without careful oversight, AI may shape funding in ways that undermine fairness and innovation.
In the talk, I will present new results on what cannot be outsourced to generative AI in the context of grant review and outline a moderate approach (Sikimić 2025). Generative AI could support, not replace, human reviewers. Scientists must remain in the loop to safeguard methodological integrity and ethical standards. Only then can we ensure that automated systems reflect not the values that guide responsible science. These values need to be guided by humans.
Ref. Sikimić, V. (2025). Fair or flawed? Rethinking grant review with generative AI. Synthese, 206(6), 282.
Past sessions
Tuesday October 28th, 2025, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM CET
Dr. Franziska Cooiman
Humboldt-Universität, Berlin
Venture Capital and Value in the Digital Economy: Dynamics, Challenges, Confusions
Venture capital forms the backend of digital economies. In Europe, VC investment has grown sharply over the past decade, spurred in part by public funding. Starting from the rise of big tech and privately held unicorn firms to the ranks of the world’s most valuable companies, this talk examines the role of venture capital in driving these valuations. I first sketch the general venture capital model of investment, then outline its influence on valuation practices, and finally discuss recent dynamics and challenges concerning value and venture capital.
Thursday November 27th, 2025, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM CET
Dr. Charles Rathkopf
Jülich Research Center
Anthropocentric bias in language model evaluation
Evaluating the cognitive capacities of large language models (LLMs) requires overcoming not only anthropomorphic but also anthropocentric biases. This article identifies two types of anthropocentric bias that have been neglected: (i) overlooking how auxiliary factors can impede LLM performance despite competence, which we call auxiliary oversight, and (ii) dismissing LLM mechanistic strategies that differ from those of humans as not genuinely competent, which we call mechanistic chauvinism. Mitigating these biases necessitates an empirically-driven, iterative approach to mapping cognitive tasks to LLM-specific capacities and mechanisms, which can be done by supplementing carefully designed behavioral experiments with mechanistic studies.
Paper coauthored with Raphaël Millière.
Programme
Each seminar will take place from 4:00 PM till 5:30 PM, on zoom only.
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Main organizer
Maël Pégny, Archives Henri Poincaré
Team
Reinhard Kahle, Universität Tübingen
Thomas Piecha, Universität Tübingen
Cyrille Imbert, Archives Henri Poincaré, CNRS
Anna C. Zielinska, Archives Henri Poincaré, Université de Lorraine
Past seminars – the first season of this seminar (2021-2022 – Seminar Tübingen-Nancy: Philosophical aspects of computer sciences – Ethics, Norms & Responsibility) was recorded and is still online
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7w_H-zjjuEqhh4gLTWg5MbmbTfGmXIU
- Tuesday October 28th, 2025: Dr. Franziska Cooiman
- Thursday November 27th, 2025: Dr. Charles Rathkopf
- Thursday December 18th, 2025: Dr. Vlasta Sikimic
- Thursday January 29th, 2026: Dr. Alexei Grinbaum
- Thursday February 26th, 2026: Dr. Luc Pélissier
- Thursday March 26th, 2026: Dr. Wulf Loh