September 10-12, 2025
organized by
Centre for Research
and
Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)
Maitreyi College (Accredited A++ by NAAC), University of Delhi
under the aegis of
Vantage: Journal of Thematic Analysis
(A multidisciplinary publication of Centre for Research)
Theme of the Conference:
Minds and Machines: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Science, Society and Ethics
Theme of the conference: Minds and Machines: Interdisciplinary Reflections on Science, Society and Ethics
The rise of intelligent machines—capable of computing, learning, making decisions, and creating—signals a pivotal moment in the extensive history of science and its societal role. Similar to the scientific revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries, which transformed our understanding of reason, nature, and knowledge, today’s world is marked by advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Today, the increasing development and use of AI and Intelligent machines —which include algorithm design, computational logic, molecular infrastructure, and resource consumption—is both fascinating and alarming. Clearly evident in the rapid proliferation across diverse domains, such as medicine, governance, education, finance, and the arts, defence, art, and sciences, its power is undeniable: algorithms influence legal decisions; neural networks are pivotal in drug discovery; and generative AI enhances creative expression. There is no doubt that it has led to a significant transformation of human practices. However, with all its power to transform it has equally powerful limitations and implications for societal, ethical, and legal issues. These have been at the centre of debates on the nature of relation between man and machine, raising urgent concerns regarding surveillance, algorithmic bias, data extraction, and the reconfiguration of labour, and also ethical questions related to fairness, ownership, accountability, environmental sustainability, and the extent of human influence.
Development and use of any technology is always shaped by vested interests, ideology/ideologies, and social structures. It is deeply intertwined with institutions of knowledge, power, and governance, and is thus not value-neutral. A number of studies have highlighted the issue of algorithmic bias. They argue that AI enforces Whiteness as a norm. Feminist scholarship argues that AI development reflects existing patriarchal structures, perpetuate a white male gaze, and tend to intensify social inequalities. An understanding of such nuances of this embeddedness is crucial to understand and assess the development and nature of the use of AI and the larger issue of the interface between man and machine. These developments compel a reconsideration of fundamental questions relating to the interrelationship of human mind and machine: do they complement each other? Are they in opposition to each other? Or do they become identical? What are the social, ethical and legal implications of each of these possibilities? Further, it also raises the question of how one defines intelligence and agency? Most importantly, what ethical guidelines can direct the development and application of technologies that increasingly influence our social, political, and personal lives?
History shows that the invention of machines was intended to enhance the agency of the mind. It also shows that when agency of machine overtakes the agency of the mind the consequences are catastrophic. For instance, the creation of Frankenstein was disastrous for human beings. In contemporary times the algorithmic machines have miniaturised the agency of the human mind. Given the complexity of the nature, society and economy the creation of news machines seems inevitable. Alongside, it is equally inevitable that the agency of the human mind will become captive of algorithmic machines. This issue seeks to open a discussion on convergence, divergence and dialects of mind and machine relations from the standpoint of different disciplines.
The 3-day-International conference in hybrid mode aims to provide a platform for meaningful and effective deliberations by academicians, researchers, social scientists and AI professionals on these developments and their impact both on the nature of disciplines and of society.
Some of fields to discuss the convergence, divergence and dialects between mind and machines could be as follows:
Daily life and work
Media and creative arts
Healthcare and medicine
Education
Agriculture
Finance and commerce
Security and defence
Sustainable architecture
Environment and public health
Journalism
Design and image -generation
Virtualism
Public administration and geopolitics
Indigenous knowledge
Art and fiction
Race and gender bias
5th Annual International Conference
5th Annual International Conference
Via email: equinoxmaitreyi@gmail.com ; vantage@maitreyi.du.ac.in