This project involves ideating and executing experiments on AI metacognition and identity. Mentees can also work on the theoretical foundations of metacognitive intelligence, helping inform experiment design and interpretation.
About the project
Theory of change
See project proposal.
Your role
See project proposal.
Prerequisites
(also found in the project proposal)
The main selection criteria is clarity of thought and compatibility of research interests and style. I’ll work with people I think I can provide value for as a mentor.
There are no hard requirements for legible coding or mathematical abilities. The project’s umbrella is wide enough that successful applicants should be able to find niches that suit their strengths or interests. I may be a little skeptical if an applicant with no prior coding experience wants to work on an empirical project, but I’m also open to taking people who believe they will grow into a role they can’t yet fill.
Application question(s)
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Suppose you were accepted to this SPAR stream and were given complete intellectual freedom. What would you work on and why? (~200 words)
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LLMs have proven to be much more generally intelligent than most people would have expected ten years ago. What properties of the architecture, behaviour or scaffolding of LLMs do you think are fundamental to their intelligence, and why? (Optional, ~200 words)
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Provide a link to one or more technical writing samples (Optional, recommended for people interested in working on theory)
About the mentor
Ashe is an research fellow for the MATS extension programme. Their work involves combining tools from behavioural game theory and computer science to model how coherent identities form in AIs and humans. Ashe was previously a competitive Go player and holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.