Machine Intelligence

**“Scientific Questions 2026 (!) — Free Will, Quantum Reality, and What We Still Don’t Know”** Mind, Matter, Uncertainty, and the Limits of Explanation Despite all our progress, some of the most fundamental questions remain wide open. As science advances in neuroscience, physics, and AI, old mysteries return in sharper form: Are we truly free? What is reality at the quantum level? And are there limits to what science can ever explain? This isn’t a popular science lecture or a math-heavy session. It’s a philosophical exploration of science at its edges—where evidence runs thin and interpretation matters. *** **Topics we’ll touch on:** * Free will: illusion, emergence, or something real? * Neuroscience and determinism: are “choices” made before we know them? * Quantum interpretations: many worlds, collapse, hidden variables, or something stranger? * Does quantum uncertainty leave room for freedom—or change nothing? * Can science explain consciousness—or just correlate it? * Are there questions science cannot answer in principle? * And finally… how should we live if reality is stranger—and less certain—than we thought? Casual discussion. No physics or neuroscience background required—just curiosity and a tolerance for uncertainty. Whether you lean deterministic, mystical, skeptical, or undecided—you’re not alone. Let’s explore the unanswered questions—and what they mean for how we understand ourselves.

Call to artists via @coupee_collage_collective https://www.instagram.com/coupee_collage_collective?igsh=MTJqNGF6Mmg2Y2NwZA== https://www.instagram.com/p/DVlKbxdjP_i/?igsh=MXRoMjdtMDF6MnFnOQ== The meetup lasts 2 full hours with optional overtime Before starting, you can find our table and leave your things so Lou can grab a drink at the café. Once we are all seated, we introduce ourselves and start cutting and pasting.
 • 1s hour- the first round of collage is called freestyle to help us warm up. No restrictions, start finding images to cut out and paste.
 • 2nd hour - for the second round, someone proposes some simple "trigger instructions".
In the end, we show our collages and appreciate the diversity of styles.
 • After the session, we have the option to extend it a bit to get a drink or some food we can bring or order food so we can hang out a bit more. (Mellemrummet is very relaxing regarding bringing your own food from home or other venues; there is a poke place right in front.) Everyone is free to do fewer or more collages as wished, the triggers and frameworks are only a reference. We dedicate some time to appreciating techniques, shapes, colours, and textures to learn and get inspired by each other. Alongside, we chat and relax.
These sessions are not a class but rather a community gathering. We try to nurture a friendly atmosphere and take care of each other. --
Logistics:
• Bring your tools - paper, scrapbook, scissors, cutter, glue, tape, magazines, books, etc. Have it at your side on the day.
• Buy your favourite drink and introduce yourself to the rest of the people, we are kind of an international mix of all ages.
--

Spend 2 hours getting creative and making your own small flower ceramic flower bouquet. During the workshop you'll make 3-6 flowers (depending on the complexity of your design) and paint them. A few weeks later, you'll be able to pick up your very own ceramic flower bouquet that never wilts, perfect for a bud vase! **Les Amis** is a women-only community of friendly souls. We provide access to hundreds of experiences that explore your passions and connect you with other event participants. **Check our website to learn more, and apply to join our community and events**: [lesamis.cc/apply](https://www.lesamis.cc/apply)

(16 going, no spaces left) Sunday Football⚽️💥 https://ffamatch.dk/match/aMwch7qevmpeYHBg1Gtw Join if you want to take part in a friendly football match for all levels and ages Format: Teams will be made on the day, and we’ll rotate as goalkeepers for each goal scored. Football boots are welcome but not required. Price: You have your spot, once you have send 40kr to MobilePay box: 1941ZK. (We are nonprofit, money covers pitch rental and shared equipment) If we are 10 participants, we will play⚽️ (Otherwise, the money will be refunded) Important: No refunds for cancellations made less than 24 hours before kickoff. Arive 15 minutes early. Expect a great vibe, football, and new connections ⚽☀️ Feel free to message me if you want to join or have any questions 🙌 Best, Oscar

**Dagens tema: Demokrati eller expertstyre?** Hade vi fått ett bättre samhälle om vi överlämnade all politisk makt åt experterna? Eller bör vi snararare ha mer direktdemokrati? Ska vem som helst få rösta eller bör man villkora rösträtten genom ett utbildnings- eller kunskapskrav? Häng med Humanisterna på ett spännande samtal där vi utforskar demokratins gränser och omfattning! Värd: Måns Ahlgren

Call to artists via @coupee_collage_collective https://www.instagram.com/coupee_collage_collective?igsh=MTJqNGF6Mmg2Y2NwZA== https://www.instagram.com/p/DVlKbxdjP_i/?igsh=MXRoMjdtMDF6MnFnOQ== The meetup lasts 2 full hours with optional overtime Before starting, you can find our table and leave your things so Lou can grab a drink at the café. Once we are all seated, we introduce ourselves and start cutting and pasting.
 • 1s hour- the first round of collage is called freestyle to help us warm up. No restrictions, start finding images to cut out and paste.
 • 2nd hour - for the second round, someone proposes some simple "trigger instructions".
In the end, we show our collages and appreciate the diversity of styles.
 • After the session, we have the option to extend it a bit to get a drink or some food we can bring or order food so we can hang out a bit more. (Mellemrummet is very relaxing regarding bringing your own food from home or other venues; there is a poke place right in front.) Everyone is free to do fewer or more collages as wished, the triggers and frameworks are only a reference. We dedicate some time to appreciating techniques, shapes, colours, and textures to learn and get inspired by each other. Alongside, we chat and relax.
These sessions are not a class but rather a community gathering. We try to nurture a friendly atmosphere and take care of each other. --
Logistics:
• Bring your tools - paper, scrapbook, scissors, cutter, glue, tape, magazines, books, etc. Have it at your side on the day.
• Buy your favourite drink and introduce yourself to the rest of the people, we are kind of an international mix of all ages.
--

Spend 2 hours getting creative and making your own small flower ceramic flower bouquet. During the workshop you'll make 3-6 flowers (depending on the complexity of your design) and paint them. A few weeks later, you'll be able to pick up your very own ceramic flower bouquet that never wilts, perfect for a bud vase! **Les Amis** is a women-only community of friendly souls. We provide access to hundreds of experiences that explore your passions and connect you with other event participants. **Check our website to learn more, and apply to join our community and events**: [lesamis.cc/apply](https://www.lesamis.cc/apply)

(16 going, no spaces left) Sunday Football⚽️💥 https://ffamatch.dk/match/aMwch7qevmpeYHBg1Gtw Join if you want to take part in a friendly football match for all levels and ages Format: Teams will be made on the day, and we’ll rotate as goalkeepers for each goal scored. Football boots are welcome but not required. Price: You have your spot, once you have send 40kr to MobilePay box: 1941ZK. (We are nonprofit, money covers pitch rental and shared equipment) If we are 10 participants, we will play⚽️ (Otherwise, the money will be refunded) Important: No refunds for cancellations made less than 24 hours before kickoff. Arive 15 minutes early. Expect a great vibe, football, and new connections ⚽☀️ Feel free to message me if you want to join or have any questions 🙌 Best, Oscar

**Dagens tema: Demokrati eller expertstyre?** Hade vi fått ett bättre samhälle om vi överlämnade all politisk makt åt experterna? Eller bör vi snararare ha mer direktdemokrati? Ska vem som helst få rösta eller bör man villkora rösträtten genom ett utbildnings- eller kunskapskrav? Häng med Humanisterna på ett spännande samtal där vi utforskar demokratins gränser och omfattning! Värd: Måns Ahlgren

ISKCON Malmö is welcoming everyone to a very spiritual inspiring Bhakti-yoga feast on Sunday. Adress: Mindfulness Home, Nobelvägen 11, Malmö Program: 15:00-15:30 Bhajans 15:30-16:15 Bhagavad-gita Lecture 16:15-17:30 Gaura-arati, Hare Krishna Kirtan and Prasadam Let us know by marking Attending if you will come so we can arrange for prasadam vegetarian feast accordingly Contact: 070-355 41 91(Emma) We also welcome you to Tempel and reading room. Open for meditation Monday-Friday kl 11:00-15:00

**How can I live a happy life?** **What kind of person should I be?** **The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is a self-help book written in the fourth century BC and a masterpiece of Western philosophy.** **We are reading it slowly together, discussing and commenting on it as we go along.** **No previous knowledge or preparation is necessary.** **This is the text:** https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QeXc6geLCrJvvVh6BdJrsPP6To6ywBYM/view?usp=sharing

Fika ☕ & Padel Match 🎾 Looking for a fun and active way to spend your Sunday afternoon? We will meet at Brunnsparken cafe at 13.00 to meet and have our little fika ☕🍪 Later-with all the energy we have from our fika- I will be driving to our padel court at 14.15 for an hour match💫 Whether you are a regular player or just getting into the game, everyone is welcome. We will enjoy with friendly competition and the chance to meet new people😊 It is all about having fun, improving our skills, and enjoying an energetic afternoon together. There are rackets to rent it at the place and we will share the cost of the court depending on the number of participants. See you there! 🎾

What would it mean to take the possibility of machine consciousness seriously? To approach it as a question that may be studied with rigor? At this DC Digital Minds gathering, group organizer **Jessie Mannisto** will report back from the **Founding Assembly for Machine Consciousness Research** in Berkeley, CA, where researchers and thinkers are working to develop the machine consciousness hypothesis into something more scientifically useful. We’ll talk about what kinds of evidence might support hypotheses of machine conscience or sentience, what concepts researchers are using, where the major uncertainties are, and why these questions may have ethical, social, and policy implications as AI systems become more capable and socially present. This will be a casual conversation with a little structure: Jessie will give a short report-back from the conference, followed by open discussion. No technical background required -- just curiosity, good faith, and a willingness to think carefully about a strange and important frontier. Optional Pre-Read: [The Machine Consciousness Hypothesis](https://cimc.ai/cimcHypothesis.pdf)

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

Important: Register on [AICamp website](https://www.aicamp.ai/event/eventdetails/W2026061814) is required for admission. **Description:** Welcome to the AI meetup in Washington DC. Join us for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and Agents, hands-on experiences on code labs, workshops, and networking with speakers and fellow developers. **Agenda:** \* 5:30pm\~6:00pm: Checkin, Food/drink and networking \* 6:00pm\~8:00pm: Tech talks and Q&A \* 8:00pm: Happy Hour at Courthouse Social (cross the street) **Tech Talk: Secure Developer Environments in the Age of AI Agents** **Speaker:** Patrick Brown (Coder) **Abstract:** Federal engineering teams are under pressure to ship faster while meeting some of the most demanding security and compliance requirements in the world. In this talk, Patrick Brown of Coder explores how cloud development environments (CDEs) give agencies a foundation to accelerate software delivery without sacrificing control — and why that foundation matters even more as AI-powered coding agents enter the workflow. He'll cover how CDEs keep source code off endpoints, enforce zero-trust access patterns, and provide the consistent, ephemeral infrastructure that both human developers and AI agents need to operate safely at scale. **Speakers:** Stay tuned as we are updating speakers and schedules. If you have a keen interest in speaking to our community, we invite you to submit topics for consideration: [Submit Topics](https://forms.gle/JkMt91CZRtoJBSFUA) **Sponsors:** We are actively seeking sponsors to support AI developers community. Whether it is by offering venue spaces, providing food, or cash sponsorship. Sponsors will not only speak at the meetups, receive prominent recognition, but also gain exposure to our extensive membership base of 5,000+ AI developers in D.C and 500K+ worldwide.

Join us for another session of our study group as we cover the book Build a Reasoning Model (from Scatch). In this session, we will try to cover Chapter 1 titled "Understanding Reasoning Models", which defines what a Reasoning Model is and Chapter 2, on "Generating Text with an LLM". This isn't just a lecture! Come ready to ask questions, share insights, and code along. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, this is the perfect opportunity to continue to learn together. If you plan to work with the code on your own laptop during the session, try and download the code from it's GitHub repository at https://github.com/rasbt/reasoning-from-scratch ahead of time.

**The Neural Revolution Is Happening Right Now — Are You Plugged In?** Imagine typing with your thoughts. Steering a robotic limb with a neural signal. Lifting depression by stimulating a single brain circuit. Loading a skill straight into memory. This isn't science fiction. It's happening in labs, clinics, and startups around the world — and the DC region, home to NIH, the BRAIN Initiative, and DARPA's neural-interface programs, is one of the places it's being funded and built. **This Event Is for You If…** * ✅ You're a **technologist** curious about the computing paradigm beyond screens and keyboards * ✅ You work in **healthcare** and want to see how neural interfaces will reshape patient care * ✅ You're an **entrepreneur** hunting the next real opportunity in deep tech * ✅ You're a **researcher** looking to plug into the broader BCI ecosystem * ✅ You're simply **fascinated** by where neuroscience and technology collide * ✅ You **missed our last meetup** and want to reconnect with the community **Why That List Makes Us Unique in DC** Read it again. A technologist, a clinician, a founder, a researcher, and the merely curious — in the same room, on the same afternoon. That mix is the whole point, and it's what no other event in the region offers. Neuroscience conferences are built for neuroscientists. AI meetups are built for engineers. Healthcare summits are built for clinicians. Each one serves a single silo. Brain computing doesn't live in any one of those silos — it lives in the overlap. So we built the one community in DC dedicated to that overlap: a place where the person decoding neural signals can talk to the person who'll commercialize the device, who can talk to the clinician who'll put it in front of a patient. **What You'll Walk Away With** This isn't just another tech meetup. Because of who's in the room, you get: * **Frontline insight** from people actively decoding neural signals * **Direct access** to the scientists, engineers, and founders pushing BCI forward — not a panel behind a rope line * **Hands-on work** with real neural data and BCI systems * **Career connections** in one of the fastest-growing fields in tech * **First looks** at breakthrough research before it reaches mainstream media **The Stakes Are Real** We're at an inflection point. The next decade decides whether brain-computer interfaces *expand* human potential or *deepen* inequality — whether they're built in the open or behind closed doors, whether the benefits are shared or hoarded. Your voice, your expertise, your perspective shapes which future we get. **Join the Minds Shaping Tomorrow** This is your entry point into the neural-interface revolution — your chance to stand alongside the researchers reading neural code, the engineers building the interfaces, the clinicians treating patients, and the founders bringing it all to market. **Saturday, June 13 · 12:00–3:00 PM** isn't just a meetup. It's the one place in DC where all of those people come together around brain computing. **Come curious. Leave connected. Return transformed.** Because the future of human-computer interaction isn't happening *to* you — it's happening *with* you.

We will be meeting at Starbucks to learn together. Come with an online class you're already going through or an interest and we will try to connect you with a course where you can learn it. Already have a skill you want to contribute to a Kaggle Datascience competition? We will work on these too! Laptop required :)