Debates about artificial consciousness have expanded considerably in recent years. Are advanced AI systems conscious? Do they genuinely understand what they produce? And what exactly do such claims mean?
This talk will revisit notions such as consciousness, meaning, and understanding, whose definitions often remain vague or unstable in the context of artificial intelligence. Drawing on both the current capabilities and the limitations of large language models, especially their lack of perceptual grounding and their tendency to hallucinate, the aim will primarily be to open discussion and to question the way these concepts are currently mobilized in debates about AI, as well as the practical consequences this may have in terms of oversight and possible regulation.
About Thierry Poibeau
Thierry Poibeau is a CNRS Research Director at LATTICE, the Languages, Texts, Computational Processing and Cognition laboratory affiliated with CNRS, ENS-PSL, and Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. His research focuses on natural language processing, computational humanities, and the social impacts of large language models.
He holds a PRAIRIE-PSAI chair on natural language processing and applications in digital humanities, and co-leads the ENS Chair in Social Justice and Artificial Intelligence. His work also engages with linguistics, cognition, the history of linguistic ideas, and the effects of AI on knowledge production.
LATTICE profile / CNRS interview / ENS Social Justice and AI Chair
New book
Thierry Poibeau’s recent book, Understanding Conversational AI: Philosophy, Ethics, and Social Impact of Large Language Models, was published by Ubiquity Press in December 2025 and is fully open access. It examines large language models from philosophical, ethical, linguistic, and social perspectives, including questions that directly connect to this session: meaning, understanding, reasoning, anthropomorphism, and the boundaries of consciousness.
Companion page / Read the open-access book / PDF
Details
Date and Time: Thursday, 21st of May 2026 - 7 PM - 8:30 PM
Location: Sony CSL, 6 rue Amyot, 75005 Paris
Access note: Ring the doorbell labelled Sony CSL and wait until someone opens. It is preferable to arrive a little in advance, but as long as the session is ongoing you are welcome to join.
Registration: here. If you would like to join the after-session drinks or dinner, please register via Lu.ma or WhatsApp, even on the day of the event, so we can book enough tables.