The International Society for the Study of Information (IS4SI) Summit – held every second year – took place at the University of California, Berkeley, June 2-6, 2019.

It was organised by neuro-anthropologist Terrence W. Deacon from UC Berkeley.

Keynote speakers were invited from disciplines as diverse as computer sciences, information theory (the school of information), design ethics, philosophy, machine learning & artificial intelligence, cybernetics, (bio)-semiotics, brain science and mathematics.

The non-keynote speeches were organized into several mini conferences which gave an idea of how the spectrum over disciplines is even broader than what was covered by the keynotes.  

Members and friends of the Emergent Systems Group made the following presentations:

Joseph E. Brenner and Abir U. Igamberdiev | Prolegomenon to an Informational Philosophy in Reality | pdf | text (pdf)

Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic | Morphological, Natural, Analog and other Unconventional Forms of Computing for Cognition and Intelligence | link

Gordana Dodig-Crnkovic | Morphological Computing In Cognitive Systems, Connecting Data To Intelligent Agency | link

Annette Grathoff | Exploration of structural and kinetic components of physical information | pdf

Wolfgang Hofkirchner | Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and Wisdom in the Global Sustainable Information Society. Clarification of concepts | pdf

Wolfgang Hofkirchner | Taking the perspective of the Third: A contribution to the Origins of Systems Thinking | pdf

Wolfgang Hofkirchner | Blurring of the human and the artificial. A conceptual clarification | pdf

Abir U. Igamberdiev and Joseph E. Brenner | The relational meaning of information in dynamic processes in reality | pdf

Robert K. Logan | The Emperor of Strong AI Has No Clothes | text (pdf)

For a view of keynote talks follow that link to youtube.

Illuminating, on the one hand, the talk that showed the limitations of AI (see Melanie Mitchell) and inspiring, on the other, the talk that explored the realistic potential for a global mind (see Francis Heylighen).

For loading down the book of abstracts follow that link.

Marcin Schroeder, mathematician and theoretical physicist, who took over the presidency from Terry Deacon invites to the next Summit in two years to Japan: it will take place at Tohoku University in Sendai, the third largest University in Japan. The title he suggests for the Summit is: Homo informaticus Species in its Global Society 5.0 and the Great War of Independence with the Technological Singularity: Real, Virtual or Fictional Future?

––––––––––

Addendum:

The proceedings have been published meanwhile.

You can find among them all contributions listed above with the exception of Logan’s one. And you will find, in addition, articles by Mark Burgin.

Grathoff’s article is part of the Evolution of Information Processing Systems project; Hofkirchner’s article Taking the perspective of the Third is part of the Systems Thinking Origins project.