Work ‹ Antonio Bikić

νοῦς sommes liberi

Here you'll find my publications, selected talks and seminars, as well as some thoughts on my projects and research stays.

Peer-reviewed Papers

1.: Bikić, A., and Pernice, W.H.P. (2025). Emulating sensation by bridging neuromorphic computing and multisensory integration. Patterns. View paper

Conferences

2023: Schneider, J., Meske, C., & Bikić, A. (2023). How individuals can shape AI through data - An AI literacy and morality perspective. Paper presented at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2023), Kristiansand, Norway.

Books

2023: Bikić, A. (2023). Semantik und Moralität. Zum Unterschied zwischen dem menschlichen und dem maschinellen epistemischen Zugang zur Welt. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

Dissertation

2023: My doctoral dissertation took place at LMU Munich, Germany, and the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. I was supervised by a philosopher and a computer scientist: a fitting team given the topic. The idea was to find out whether semantics is necessary to act morally. To approach this, I examined reinforcement learning algorithms. The work was, in several ways, very theoretical: it showed how system architecture, learning paradigms, and sensor design – forming an epistemic access to reality – heavily characterize the interactions between an agentive entity and its surroundings.

Postdoc

2023–present: At Heidelberg University, I work on the severed floor. Haha. My work is not actually that mysterious, but I consider it important. (All of this only makes sense if you’ve watched the Apple series Severance.) At Heidelberg, I’m involved in several projects on neuromorphic hardware, including: neuromorphic touch-sensors and the role of subjective experience for such systems, feature binding and epistemic access to reality through artificial neural networks (ANNs), the epistemological theory of pragmatism and its connection to the functionality of ANNs, and related topics. Once the papers are published, it’ll be much easier (and safer!) to talk about it all in detail.
2022–present: At Leipzig University, I’m part of the Humboldt Professorship for AI, where I focus on the theory of artificial neural networks. I’ve joined forces with the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences. Together, we’re working on a publication that sets out theoretical prerequisites for determining whether the neural geometries used in ANNs are merely descriptive — or whether they represent objective structures distilled from nature. We explore four structuralist views and apply them to artificial neural networks based on different hardware architectures (including neuromorphic approaches).
2023–2024: In this project, developed in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems, we created techniques that integrate ethical analysis into the security assessment of AI systems. We focused on: 1. The competent use of LLMs (Large Language Models) that prioritize users' needs, and 2. Theories of justice that can be incorporated into systems to mitigate systemic biases that artificial neural networks tend to exhibit.
2022–2023: At Münster University, I was part of the Intelligent Matter Cluster. There, I first started developing methods to access and describe how machines are "natured," and how the differences between inanimate and animate nature can be portrayed. This resulted in a paper titled Unmodeled Complexity, co-authored with a colleague from the physics department. The paper explored the missing but effective elements of neurons that are typically omitted in artificial neural networks, with a special focus on ion channels.

Teaching

2024: Big Data: ethical and legal implications | Frankfurt School of Finance and Management | Bachelor level [ENG]
2023: Einführung in die Ethik der Künstlichen Intelligenz | LMU München | Bachelor level [GER]
2023: Künstliche Perzeption | LMU Munich | Master level [GER]
2022: Neopragmatismus und Künstliche Intelligenz | University of Luxembourg | Bachelor level [GER]
2022: Welche Wahrheitstheorie für die Maschine? | LMU Munich | Bachelor level [GER]
2022: Ethische Aspekte von NLP | University of Zurich | Master level [GER]
2021: Neuromorphe Hardware und ihre Bedeutung für autonome Agenten | LMU Munich | Bachelor level [GER]
2021: Philosophie des Geistes im Kontext Künstlicher Intelligenz | Cologne University | Bachelor level [GER]
2020: Theorie autonomer Agenten | LMU Munich | Bachelor level [GER]
2020: Of Mice, Men, and Machines. Philosophy of Mind in the Context of AI | University of Luxembourg | PhD level [ENG]
2019: Ethik im Kontext Künstlicher Intelligenz | TU Berlin | Master level [GER]

Taks

Feb 2024: Fraunhofer-Institute for Cognitive | Systems: Ethics and AI
Jan 2023: SnT (Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust | Universität Luxemburg | The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles
May 2022: Tübingen University | What is the right ethical paradigm for a machine?
Mai 2022: LMU Munich | How to use and collect data ethically?
Jan 2022: Humboldt University Berlin | Intentionality in the context of NLP
Nov 2021: Liechtenstein University | Nudging and intentionality in the context of AI
Jun 2021: Utrecht University | Is an artificial intelligent agent‘s action structured or interpreted through moral norms?
Dec 2020: Deloitte | Ethical aspects of AI
Sep 2020: Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz | If a machine is intelligent, is it also capable of making mistakes?
Oct 2018: German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) | Ethics of Autonomous Driving

Some Theses

S. Dürrmeier: Epistemological Challenges of Assessing | Qualia in Large Language Models | 2024 | LMU Munich
N. Jasarović: Trust in the Age of AI | 2024 | LMU Munich
H. Lindner: Can AI tools be useful in the courtroom? | 2024 | LMU Munich
R. Rauch: Verantwortungsdiﬀusion im Kontext künstlich intelligenter Systeme | 2020 | LMU Munich

Workshops

Aug 2024: Avenues of Intelligence. An international and interdisciplinary workshop on current approaches to AI | neuroscience, computer science, philosophy, engineering | Heidelberg University
Jul 2019: What Ways to Program Autonomous Systems (such as Cars) are Permissible in a Liberal-Democratic Rechtsstaat? | Special Workshop at the IVR World Congress | Lucerne University