Digital Minds Research Sprint 2026 - Berlin - Apart Research
Digital Minds Research Sprint - Berlin
Do AI systems have preferences, welfare, or something like an inner life worth investigating?
Join Apart Research co-organizers at the Foresight Institute Berlin Node for a physical gathering of a global weekend research sprint on digital minds.
Foresight Berlin Node is located within the CIC Berlin building at Lohmühlenstraße 65, 12435 Berlin-Bezirk Treptow-Köpenick. A teammate will greet you at the entrance when you arrive and guide you to our space.
The Event
Teams spend the weekend researching model preferences, introspection and self-report reliability, valence signals, and model identity, working in person alongside the global online sprint.
Whether you are an ML engineer, cognitive scientist, or philosopher: no prior research experience required.
We'll begin with a kickoff event on Friday evening (14/8) at Foresight Node, and welcome teams to join us for IRL co-working during designated hours over Saturday (15/8) and Sunday (16/8).
Please note that this event will also take place online, on Apart Research's sprint portal and Discord with anticipated >500 participants – the Berlin hub is an opportunity to connect with fellow researchers and hackers for cozy collaboration within a global digital event!
More info here: https://apartresearch.com/sprints/digital-minds-research-sprint-2026-08-14-to-2026-08-16
Schedule
Friday, 14 August
• 11:00 - 12:00, doors open to hackers for co-working at Foresight Node in CIC Berlin
• 12:00 - 13:00, Catered lunch served in the Foresight Node
• 13:00 - 14:15, Mentor Presentations & Sprint Orientation
- 13:00 - 14:00, greetings from co-organizers + lightning talks from Dr. David Trocellier (Zander Labs), Dr. Hildie Leyser (Netholabs) and Kazik Pogoda (Xemantic)
- 14:00 - 14:15, intros & guidelines for the afternoon
• 14:15 - 15:15, team formation and mingling, with speakers available to chat (in lieu of Q & A above) and mentor as teams form and decide on their focus
• 15:15 - 17:00, mentors are available for mentorship as teams work quietly in Foresight Hub
• 17:00 - 18:00, aperitivo & light bites to close Kickoff Day
• 18:00, break until Saturday (hackers can continue working at home if they prefer)
Saturday, 15 August
11:00 - 18:00, sprint team coworking available at the Foresight Node in CIC Berlin – lunch provided at 13:00!
Sunday, 16 August
11:00 - 18:00, sprint team coworking available at the Foresight Node in CIC Berlin – lunch provided at 13:00!
23:59 AoE (Anywhere on Earth timezone), the Digital Minds sprint ends online!
Organized by
Apart Research with NODES
Register for the global sprint: apartresearch.com