An initiative for a global, open, and interdisciplinary dialogue connecting Philosophy to AI
Friday, 20 June 2025, starts at 10:30 AM
Athens Conservatoire, Greece
How can we empower children, tomorrow’s citizens, to flourish in the age of AI?
A new generation is raised with AI, and possibly, by AI. In a world increasingly guided by algorithms and automated decisions, we need to reflect on how children play, learn, and communicate.
The Lyceum Project is an international, interdisciplinary gathering that takes place every year at the Athens Conservatoire, next to the archaeological site of Aristotle’s Lyceum. It is an initiative that brings together academics, practitioners, policymakers, artists, and citizens to discuss the changes, opportunities, and challenges we face in the age of AI.
This year, on June 20, The Lyceum Project places childhood and AI at the epicentre of public debate to deliberate on: What does it mean to be a child in the age of AI? How to guide technology with wisdom and integrity, ensuring AI empowers children? And how does innovation align with our highest values, shaping a future that benefits all children?
With distinguished guests in attendance – including the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis – the event will engage leading voices in ethics, AI, education, policy-making and children development. Featured speakers include:
- John Tasioulas, Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy and Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford;
- Baroness Beeban Kidron, Member of the House of Lords and advisor to Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI.
The event will conclude with a site-specific performance at Aristotle’s Lyceum, inspired by this year’s theme. It will feature dance students from the Athens Conservatoire and musicians from the Contemporary Music Research Centre.
The Lyceum Project 2025 is organised by the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos” and the World Human Forum; in collaboration with the Special Secretariat of Foresight, Presidency of the Government, Hellenic Republic; hosted by the Athens Conservatoire; in affiliation with The Center for Hellenic Studies – Harvard University and the Center for Hellenic Studies at the University of Chicago; with the support of the IEEE Standards Association | IEEE SA and the Alexander S. Pissios Family Foundation.
Main Sponsor: Google
Official Airline Partner: AEGEAN
Official Media Partner: Athens News Agency – Macedonian Press Agency (ANA-MPA)
Future AI Leaders Sponsor: Hellenic Artificial Intelligence Society (EETN)
Admission is free; Registration is required.
The event will be held in English, except for the ‘AI & Education’ panel, which will be delivered in Greek. Interpretation devices will be available to facilitate understanding in both languages.
For more information, please visit: thelyceumproject.ai
Programme Highlights
The event explores key themes, including: human nature and AI, AI as intelligent tools for children’s flourishing, policy and governance.
Morning Session | 11:00 AM – 2:15 PM
- Giving children back their childhood: Balancing Rights and Protection in the Age of AI; Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Baroness Beeban Kidron.
- AI Governance Panel: This panel discussion will address regulation, ethical foresight, and legal responsibilities related to children in the age of AI, offering insights from academics, policy-makers and technology governance experts on shaping future governance frameworks.
- AI and Education Panel (in Greek): Academics, educators, and policymakers share their insights and experiences about how AI can empower teaching and learning, as well as how education can be shaped to support children, tomorrow’s citizens, in the age of AI.
Young Scholars’ session | 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
A unique session where young scholars (PhD students or those within 7 years of their PhD), representing diverse fields (social sciences, humanities, education, computer science, AI ethics, and art), share their insights, ideas, and reflections on this year’s theme.
Evening Session | 6:30 PM – 8:45 PM
- Age-appropriate AI Design Panel: This panel brings together academics and AI practitioners to discuss how we design safe and trustworthy AI systems that empower children.
- Concluding Philosophical Reflections about Children and AI: A discussion with Prof John Tasioulas and Prof Spyridon Rangos.
- Closing Remarks and Next Steps: Anastasia Giannakidou, Frank J. McLoraine Professor of Linguistics; Director, Center for Hellenic Studies at the University of Chicago.
Experiencing the spirit of the place
The day will conclude with an evening interdisciplinary performance at Aristotle’s Lyceum, inspired by the topics discussed during the day. The Athens Conservatoire dance students, collaborating with Contemporary Music Research Center musicians, will offer a vibrant close to an intellectually stimulating day.
🗓️ Friday, 20 June 2025, starts at 10:30 AM
📍 Athens Conservatoire (Rigillis & Vasileos Georgiou B’ 17-19)
Admission is free; Registration required.
For more information, please visit: thelyceumproject.ai
Open to the public, educators, designers, researchers, policymakers, and media
Press Contacts
Dr. Eva Steiner-Karatairi, NCSR Demokritos
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Ioanna Gkomouza, Communications Officer, World Human Forum
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Social Media:
The Lyceum Project LinkedIn Page
The Lyceum Project Facebook Page
#TheLyceumProject #TLP25
About The Lyceum Project
Set in the cradle of philosophy, next to Aristotle’s ancient Lyceum, The Lyceum Project is a global initiative connecting philosophy and AI that comes alive each year on June 20. Organised by leading academic institutions, research centres, and global organisations, visionary thinkers and doers, The Lyceum Project bridges timeless philosophical wisdom with groundbreaking AI innovation.
The Lyceum Project uncovers insights and offers pathways that guide technology toward sustaining and enriching the interconnected web of life. This modern Lyceum provides a space where philosophy, science, the arts, and humanities converge to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.
The inaugural edition of The Lyceum Project in 2024 introduced an Aristotelian ethical framework to address AI’s challenges and opportunities, as outlined in the white paper “Lyceum Project: AI Ethics with Aristotle” by John Tasioulas, Professor of Ethics and Legal Philosophy, and Director of the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, and Josiah Ober, Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University. This framework continues to guide the project’s vision.
The Lyceum Project aligns with the “Statement on Inclusive and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence for People and the Planet,” signed at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris in February 2025, to promote inclusive and multi-stakeholder dialogues and cooperation on AI governance.
The Lyceum Project also fulfils the convening function of one of the Flagship Programmes in “Greece’s AI Transformation Blueprint” and serves as the venue for an annual high-level global meeting on AI ethics and policy.
Meet the organisers
The National Centre for Scientific Research (NCSR) “Demokritos” is Greece’s largest multidisciplinary research centre. NCSR “Demokritos” plays a key role in national and European AI initiatives through its Institute of Informatics and Telecommunications and AI research activities.
The World Human Forum is a think-and-do tank, a knowledge and action hub designed to help build a brighter future for all. A global citizens’ initiative which highlights and interconnects the innovative forces of our planet towards the creation of a genuine ecological civilisation.
The Special Secretariat of Foresight, under the Presidency of the Government, Hellenic Republic.
The Athens Conservatoire (Greek: Odeion Athinon) is the oldest educational institution for the performing arts in modern Greece, founded as a non-profit organisation in 1871. Its premium location at the heart of Athens and its iconic bauhaus building make it a unique and enviable cultural hub for various contemporary arts and cultural events.
The Center for Hellenic Studies – Harvard University is dedicated to the reassertion of the humanism of the ancient world, centring on Hellenic civilisation in its widest sense. Today, it stands as a premier research facility, cultivating a repository of materials that attracts scholars, researchers, and students from all over the world.
The Center for Hellenic Studies at the University of Chicago is a forum for research, pedagogy, and engagement with the many aspects of the Hellenic civilisation from antiquity to the modern day.
The IEEE Standards Association SA is a leading consensus-building organisation that nurtures, develops, and advances global technologies. It facilitates standards development and standards-related solutions, such as technology incubation, alliance consortia formation and open source.
The Alexander S. Pissios Family Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to supporting underprivileged and underserved communities both locally and globally by creating transformative opportunities in education, employment, and social services, thereby empowering individuals to thrive.
