The Digital Minds Fellowship is an intensive seven-day residential programme hosted at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Taking place from 3–9 August 2026, the fellowship brings together a highly selective cohort of 15 participants for immersive study, strategic thinking, and project development in the emerging field of digital minds research. Housed within the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the Institute for Technology and Humanity, the programme is delivered by Cambridge Digital Minds in partnership with Rethink Priorities and PRISM. The fellowship is currently accepting applications, with a deadline of 27 March 2026. Programme Overview The Digital Minds Fellowship is designed for individuals seeking to contribute meaningfully to research on: AI consciousness AI welfare Moral status of artificial systems Long-term societal implications of digital minds Unlike more established domains such as AI safety or governance, digital minds research remains nascent. This presents distinct challenges: Promising research questions are harder to identify Career pathways are less clearly defined The research community is comparatively small The fellowship directly addresses these gaps by equipping participants with foundational expertise, strategic clarity, and structured mentorship. Location and Format The programme is held at Jesus College Cambridge, providing a focused residential setting conducive to deep engagement and collaboration. Key features include: Five-day intensive fellowship (Monday–Friday) Two-day Digital Minds Strategy Workshop (Saturday–Sunday) Fully funded travel and accommodation £1,000 stipend for each fellow Select cohort of 15 participants All fellows are automatically invited to participate in the Strategy Workshop, where they engage with researchers, practitioners, and field leaders. Programme Goals Each cohort is guided by four core objectives: Build Foundational Knowledge Develop technical understanding of contemporary AI systems Explore philosophical theories of consciousness and moral status Apply conceptual frameworks to real-world AI architectures Engage in Strategic Thinking Map long-term trajectories for digital minds Identify risks and intervention points Evaluate high-impact opportunities Practice Project Scoping Identify tractable, high-value research questions Distinguish genuine knowledge gaps Refine ideas into actionable research agendas Build Community Establish durable peer networks Connect fellows with experienced mentors Seed a committed digital minds research ecosystem Programme Structure The fellowship consists of three integrated modules combining lectures, discussion, working sessions, and collaborative exercises. Module 1: Philosophical & Technical Foundations (2 Days) Led by Derek Shiller of Rethink Priorities. Focus areas include: LLM architecture fundamentals (transformers, attention mechanisms, training paradigms) Implications of current architectures for cognition and experience Existing welfare intervention proposals Key uncertainties and open research questions Participants leave with the ability to critically evaluate AI systems through both technical and philosophical lenses. Module 2: Societal Implications & Strategy (2 Days) Led by Lucius Caviola of the University of Cambridge. Core components include: Scenario planning through 2100 Identifying branching futures and decision points Designing policy and institutional interventions Developing messaging and stakeholder engagement strategies A central group exercise requires fellows to map plausible digital minds trajectories and propose targeted interventions. Module 3: Project Scoping & Career Planning (1 Day) This module builds on pre-programme mentor conversations and focuses on refining high-impact project ideas. Fellows learn to: Determine which research questions matter most Assess feasibility given existing constraints Identify neglected opportunities Align personal skills with strategic needs Translate concepts into concrete action plans Participants leave with: A clearly articulated research or project proposal A roadmap for post-fellowship development Defined support and partnership requirements Pre-Programme Phase Preparation begins before arrival in Cambridge. Online Course Requirement All fellows must complete the Digital Minds online course or demonstrate familiarity with core literature. This ensures: A shared conceptual baseline Deeper in-person engagement Efficient use of residential time Mentor Pairing Each fellow is paired with a mentor at least one month before the programme. Pre-programme meetings focus on: Background and interest alignment Exploring research directions Learning how to scope high-quality projects Who Should Apply The fellowship is designed for individuals positioned to contribute meaningfully to digital minds research. Graduate Students and Early Career Academics Especially philosophers or adjacent researchers Those able to leverage institutional affiliations Professionals Individuals in policy, government, or industry Those seeking to redirect expertise toward digital minds Exceptional Earlier-Stage Candidates Individuals demonstrating strong ability and commitment Those motivated to shape an emerging field The programme acknowledges the limited number of established roles in digital minds and supports fellows in identifying or creating viable pathways. Strategic Value The Digital Minds Fellowship represents a rare opportunity to engage deeply with one of the most conceptually challenging and strategically important frontiers in artificial intelligence. By combining: Technical grounding Philosophical rigor Strategic foresight Mentored project development the programme aims to cultivate leaders capable of shaping the future discourse and direction of digital minds research. VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY For more opportunities such as these please follow us on Facebook, Instagram , WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn and Telegram Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering the fellowship. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.