Workshop announcement

"What can Synthetic Biology offer to Artificial Intelligence?  
Perspectives in the Bio-Chem-ICT and other scenarios"
a satellite workshop of the 12th European Conference on Artificial  
Life (ECAL 2013, http://www.dmi.unict.it/ecal2013/)

Taormina, September 6th 2013 (2.30 pm -  6.30 pm)

Organized by
Luisa Damiano (University of Bergamo)
Pasquale Stano (University of Roma 3)
Yutetsu Kuruma (University of Tokyo)

Call for papers is open!
Deadline: August 15, 2013

Website
http://www.plluisi.org/ecal2013/SB-AI_satellite_ecal2013.htm


Traditionally Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, broadly conceived  
as the study of intelligence through the construction of artificial  
models of natural cognitive systems, has been developed in the context  
of computer science and robotics. Today the scientific and technical  
advancements of biological sciences, leading to the emergence of  
Synthetic Biology (SB) conceived as the chemical synthesis of  
biological parts/systems/processes, allow the scientific community to  
extend AI research within the field of experimental biology.
The workshop aims at offering an interdisciplinary forum in which  
nascent programs involving cooperation between SB and AI in the  
exploration of biological and cognitive processes can be discussed in  
their groundings, their procedures, their possibilities and their  
limits, as well as enriched through scientific exchange of ideas.
The main focus will be on current and possible applications in AI  
research of the emerging bio-chemical based Information and  
Communication Technologies (ICT), founded on the convergence of  
biological, chemical, physical approaches, often in combination with  
progresses in miniaturization like micro-fluidic devices and Micro  
Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). But the workshop is interested also  
in introducing and discussing other actual and possible approaches and  
research programs which involve SB in AI research.
Most of the participants will have a SB, AI, and/or bio-chem-ICT  
background, or come from scientific disciplines dealing with  
theoretical, epistemological and/or experimental issues related to the  
synthetic study of life and cognition. Our goal is to stimulate the  
interaction between applied research and theoretical/epistemological  
reflections, and to promote a front line in SB and AI that focuses on  
(some of) these questions, and related ones:

1) Can intelligence be studied through the construction and  
exploration of synthetic biological systems and processes? In which  
conditions? More specifically: What SB, and in particular its  
bio-chem-ICT tools and issues, can offer to AI?

2) Which are the groundings, procedures, possibilities, limits,  
expected results, and impacts of current and possible research  
programs involving SB in AI research? How AI will advance by  
encompassing SB and bio-chem-ICT approaches?

3) Can we nowadays plan concrete collaborations between computer  
science, robotics and SB in the scientific study natural forms of  
intelligence? How?

4) Are the emerging directions of research in AI (such as embodied AI,  
enactive AI, soft robotics, ý) good candiddate to cooperate with SB in  
the exploration of natural forms of cognition? Can SB contribute to  
the development of artificial forms of cognition (artificial cognitive  
systems which do not model natural cognitive systems)?

The workshop intends to bring together researchers interested in  
investigating one or more of these aspects of the (possible/actual)  
relationships between SB and AI. The aim is developing an  
interdisciplinary dialogue able to promote the reflected involvement  
of SB in AI, and to create a interdisciplinary community concretely  
developing research programs based on the cooperation of SB and AI.


Organized by
Luisa Damiano (University of Bergamo)
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Pasquale Stano (University of Roma Tre)
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Yutetsu Kuruma (University of Tokyo)
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