Conference
15.05.2026
18:00
gnration (sala multiusos)
Moderated by: Andreia Magalhães
Free
This conference takes place in Portuguese
©Fundação Gulbenkian/©Marianne Harlé
The significant evolution of AI models has brought to the forefront discussions about the transformative power of these technologies across the most diverse aspects of our daily lives. In an era in which the advent of Superintelligence—algorithms with autonomy and the capacity for real decision-making—seems increasingly like a concrete possibility, it is important to rethink the boundary between organic and artificial intelligence. Drawing on the work of philosopher Sofia Miguens—following in the footsteps of Daniel Dennett—on human and artificial minds, and the technologically hybrid proposals of composer João Carlos Pinto, we will discuss the idea of agency, grounded in the fields of contemporary thought and artistic creation, in a conversation moderated by curator and professor Andreia Magalhães.
Sofia Miguens
Sofia Miguens is a Full Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto and a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Philosophy, where she directs the Mind, Language and Action Group (MLAG), which she founded in 2005. She has been a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, and visiting professor at various international institutions, including NYU – New York University, the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris, the University of Sydney, and the University of Paris – Sorbonne (2023).
João Carlos Pinto
João Carlos Pinto is an artist trained in classical music and multimedia, interested in exploring techno-animism and cyber-spirituality through the performing arts and multimedia. He studied piano and composition at the Calouste Gulbenkian Conservatory in Braga, earned a bachelor’s degree in composition from the Lisbon Higher School of Music, and pursued a master’s degree in multimedia composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg under the tutelage of Alexander Schubert. In 2025, he was Artist-in-Residence at Casa da Música, resulting in commissions for the Remix Ensemble and the Porto Symphony Orchestra, as well as the performance “Player #1” for PlayStation controller, electronics, video, lights, and lasers.
Andreia Magalhães
Andreia Magalhães has been the artistic director of the Oliva Art Center since 2017, where she is responsible for the exhibition program, collection management, and coordination of the institution’s projects. Since 2000, she has worked with various institutions, such as the Museum of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Porto and the Soares dos Reis National Museum. She has collaborated with various international museums, focusing on the relationship between visual arts and cinema, including the Netherlands Institute for Media Art, the museums of modern art in New York and San Francisco, and MAC-USP in São Paulo.