The University of Rochester has announced a $4.2 million from the John Templeton Foundation to launch its Virtual Institute for the Physics of Agentic Intelligence, a three-year research initiative exploring the underpinnings of cognitive agency in living systems and artificial intelligence. The university will lead an international collaboration with the Santa Fe Institute, Dartmouth College, the University of British Columbia, the University of Auckland, and the Basque Foundation for Science in Spain. The institute will study how autonomous behavior emerges, whether AI can develop agency-like capabilities, and how insights into living intelligence could inform the next generation of intelligent systems.
Templeton Foundation awards University of Rochester $4.2M to study AI agency and nature of life
Can AI want something? URochester awarded Templeton Foundation grant to find out
Press Release
University of Rochester
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