C-Tests Workshop

Recent advances in artificial intelligence, animal sentience, and brain organoid research have brought the question of how to detect consciousness to the forefront. Determining whether animals, machines, or other systems are conscious has major scientific and practical implications, influencing ethical decision-making and policy. One promising approach to this challenge is the development of consciousness tests (C-tests), empirically grounded methods for detecting consciousness across diverse populations. Importantly, C-tests are not necessarily grounded in theories of consciousness, which are still “works in progress” and therefore not sufficiently robust to support secure ascriptions of consciousness. C-tests, instead, offer a data-driven methodology for navigating the uncertainty surrounding consciousness attributions and thus promise to be useful and effective even in the context of vast theoretical disagreement in consciousness science. 

But how do C-tests work? How are they validated? Can they be successfully applied to heterogeneous populations? The goal of this workshop is to survey and critically assess the current state of the art regarding C-tests. While a growing number of proposals have been developed—drawing on behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological indicators—there has been relatively little systematic discussion of how these tests relate to one another or what standards they should satisfy. The workshop will therefore bring together researchers from multiple disciplines to examine existing approaches, discuss desiderata for robust C-tests, explore novel research programs, and investigate possible synergies between different methods. At the same time, we aim to foster critical discussion of key challenges, including conceptual ambiguities related to construct validity, risks of anthropocentric bias, and difficulties in validating C-tests independently of theories of consciousness.

The workshop will cover a broad range of topics reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of C-test research. Contributions will address conceptual, methodological, empirical, and practical issues. Discussions will focus on different target systems, including non-human animals, artificial intelligence systems, and brain organoids. By bringing together perspectives from philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and AI, the workshop aims to clarify the emerging landscape of C-tests and stimulate new directions for research.

Date: June 8 – 10, 2026
Time: Programme TBA
Location:  BAMΞ, University of Bamberg & Online, Zoom
This workshop is part of BAMΞ's AI Consciousness Sprint.

 Application ↓ 

Invited Speakers

We are currently in the process of inviting speakers. Please find below a list of confirmed invited speakers.

Discussion Sessions

Exchange between participants of the workshop, regarding thoughts, ideas, and experience, is an integral part of this workshop. To facilitate this exchange, there is ample space for discussions after each talk, as well as dedicated discussion sessions, one at the end of each day of the workshop. For details, please see the schedule below.

Application

If you would like to participate in this workshop, please apply via the form linked below. Please note that in order to facilitate productive discussions, spaces are limited. We are looking forward to welcoming you!

•  Join this workshop

A detailed schedule will be made available in the week before the workshop commences.

Organizers

Niccolo Negro
Aïda Elamrani
Johannes Kleiner

Organizing Institutions

Bamberg Mathematical Consciousness Science Initiative (BAMΞ)

Contact

In case of questions, please reach out.

Updates

Updates about this workshop and similar activities are available via:

• Our mailing list, register here.
• Our Google calendar, available here.