Exploring Human-AI Interaction

With a team of world-renowned experts, strong media presence and an extensive AI lab, Florida Atlantic University's Center for the Future of AI, Mind and Society serves as a hub for education and interdisciplinary research focused on understanding the societal cultural, intellectual and economic impacts of future technology-driven changes. One avenue of discovery is MindFest, the center’s flagship annual conference led by Susan Schneider, Ph.D., director of the center and professor, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. The event brings together leading thinkers, researchers and academics to explore pressing philosophical and scientific questions. In light of the progressively autonomous capabilities of emerging technologies, MindFest 2025 aimed to identify key trajectories for the future of human- AI interaction. In particular, the rise of large language model (LLM-based agents, as well as the nature of sentience and consciousness in both biological and, potentially, artificial systems.

This year, MindFest organizers collaborated with the PBS television series Closer To Truth to amplify the voices of the distinguished keynote speakers, including Tam Hunt and Jonathan Schooler, both of University of California, Santa Barbara, and Zoltan Istvan, founder, Transhumanist Party.

“The thought-provoking ideas raised were enriched by parallel paper sessions and student poster presentations, fostering academic exchange across disciplines and career stages,” Schneider said. “This partnership created a global platform for critical discourse, offering valuable insights into a shared future across multiple channels.”