Introduction to Digital Minds — Autumn/Winter 2026 Cohort

Cambridge Digital Minds is opening applications for the Autumn/Winter 2026 cohort of Introduction to Digital Minds, a free, fully online eight-week course.

The course asks how plausible digital minds are, how we might recognise one, and what their existence would mean for ethics, governance and society. Each week combines short readings and exercises with facilitated small-group discussion alongside a cohort drawn from a range of backgrounds and disciplines.

It was developed in collaboration with experts from Cambridge, New York University, Oxford, PRISM and Eleos AI.

Eight weekly units:

• Introduction and moral standing — what we mean by digital minds, and why it may matter now,
• Theories of consciousness — and how they may or may not apply to artificial systems,
• Testing for consciousness and other mental states, and how to assess the results,
• Perceptions of consciousness — how people relate to AI models, and the implications,
• Interactions with AI safety and ethics — where consideration for digital minds supports or strains other concerns,
• Practical approaches under uncertainty, including actions companies are taking now,
• Digital minds governance — from prevention to protection and integration,
• Reflections and next steps — identifying contributions you could make to the field

• Some grounding in AI and AI safety or ethics, and the potential to shape these conversations,
• Open to researchers, engineers, policymakers, journalists, lawyers and interested individuals — the cohort is deliberately mixed,
• Around 2–3 hours of reading and preparation per week, plus 1.5 hours of facilitated group discussion,
• Runs 12 October to 11 December 2026, fully online

Applications are made through the course application form, which takes about 30 minutes to complete. Applications close on 8 September 2026.