Workshop Details

Curious about life as a primatologist, or as an animal researcher more generally? 
In the first part of this workshop, we will get a first look at our newly developed game, tracking down primates in a virtual forest and recording their behaviour. Afterwards, there will be a chance to share your thoughts and help us shape it further! In the second part, we will move from the virtual forest to the outdoors (in the botanical garden) and follow GPS points to see primate behaviour through a primatologist's eyes. If necessary, please dress for the weather!
The workshop is organised by the Comparative BioCognition Research Group (CBC) and hosted by Dr Filipa Abreu and Dr Kayla Kolff. 

The significance of the German–American relationship can hardly be overstated for cognitive science and its sub-disciplines, for our institute, and also for many of its past and present members. Especially the analytic tradition of philosophy has been deeply shaped by such professional and personal exchanges to this day. Temporary research stays in the US were common and perhaps even expected from those hoping to pursue a career in the field. However, the political situation has changed dramatically and academic expectations and advice have largely turned upside-down. With respect to this difficult tension, I want to share my personal experiences from start to finish and discuss the upper and lower limits of transnational academic relationships.

This workshop explores the physiology of normal sleep and its critical role as a pillar of overall physical and mental health. Participants will examine key aspects of sleep architecture, optimal sleep duration, and the impact of the sleeping environment. The session also offers evidence-based strategies for daily life, focusing on sleep hygiene principles and stimulus control techniques to foster restorative, healthy sleep patterns.

Why does Spotify seem to know what you want to hear next, and when does it get it completely wrong? In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll explore how music recommendation systems work by testing them ourselves. Participants will choose familiar songs they like from a prepared collection, then compare the new songs different systems recommend in response. Along the way, we’ll listen, discuss what the systems did well or poorly, ask whether we actually like the recommendations, and try to figure out why a particular song was suggested.

Let’s tackle the biggest challenges AI poses to democracy! In this interactive workshop we will explore and discuss five critical areas: the formation of public opinion, authoritarian and far-right uses of AI, the political power of AI corporations, the transformation of work, and the widespread fear of conscious machines. Together, we will synthesize our insights to pinpoint the threats that deserve our attention most urgently.

In this workshop, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Musslick will interview Prof. Dr. Lilian Weber about her personal journey in science, with a focus on the challenges, detours, and experiences that usually do not appear on a CV. The workshop will begin with a short interview section, in which Lilian will share her story. Afterwards, the audience will be invited to ask questions and engage in an open conversation with her.

This workshop shows how  Amal grew from an idea into an AI co-teacher that supports over 30,000 teachers and reaches more than 1 million students in East Africa, in cooperation with Anthropic, Meta and the Gates Foundation. It also covers what it takes to build AI for good that measurably works. You will leave with the Impact Canvas, a six-step toolkit for testing your own idea for real impact and ethical risks, and for planning a 90-day pilot.

This workshop offers the opportunity to discover a variety of music-related XR applications using a VR headset. Meet artists up close, create music collaboratively, or move to the rhythm—a diverse range of options awaits. Following a brief introduction, participants can explore the applications either independently or in teams. Several XR headsets (Meta Quest 3) will be provided. No prior experience is required, though experienced XR users are warmly welcome as well.

Why does Anthropic employ a house philosopher? What the fuck is Accellerationism and why do you need to know? This workshop serves as a glimpse into and critique of the weird „Philosophies“ of Silicon Valley which today shape global decisions around AI.

What does it take to turn an idea into a product—and potentially a company? In this interactive workshop, a co-founder of deepsight shares lessons from building software products and a startup, and explores how product development has changed over the last years. Drawing on real-world examples, we will discuss technical and business challenges, what matters when deciding what to build, and which skills become more important as building software itself gets easier. The session allows to dive deeper into the topics most relevant to the participants.

How can we empower children to navigate artificial intelligence safely and with confidence from an early age? 
Drawing on the interdisciplinary  KIKI-project, this workshop highlights practical concepts to champion children’s rights—balancing digital participation with vital protections for privacy and well-being. Participants will discover how child-centered "positive media" resources equip young minds, parents, and educators for self-determined and reflective engagement with AI.

In this workshop you get to know a cognitive approach to German word spelling and learn how research outcomes can be turned into learning and teaching materials suited for everyday use. Everything started 1995 in a computational linguistics study project and resulted in a non-profit OER textbook for German primary schools (https://zirkus-palope.de). No German required!

In 2022,  VisioLab's first AI checkout went live in Mensa Westerberg. Four years later, it runs at World Cup stadiums in the US. We'll show how a close-knit CogSci network made that leap possible. Then alumni from state politics, a Y Combinator startup and a Frontier Lab join a panel on turning an Osnabrück degree into real-world impact. 

Speech errors – unintentional deviations of our speech plan – are ubiquitous and come in various sizes and forms, e.g. “an alligator stepped on a giraffe”; “he was turking talkish”; “left lemisphere”. Similar mishaps occur as we listen to language or as deaf signers produce and perceive sign language. They are interesting because they open a window into the production and comprehension of language – but they are also just humorous little glitches in everyday conversations.
If you come to my workshop, please bring your own “slips” along or choose one from a pool. Cross-linguistic slips are  welcome! I will then diagnose them for you and point out their cognitive significance. Come in and find out:
• Why each slip needs a diagnose – but no therapy
• The myth of Freudian slips
• Why “Rotpäckchen” is an Arabic-type of slip but occurs in German kids
• What “Agathe Bauer” and “Lady Mondegreen” have in common
• How deaf signers can get “marriwedded”
I promise you, in the end, “you will know what the hell am I doing here for.” 

Vibe coding, building software by describing what you want to an AI instead of writing the code yourself, has turned into one of the most common ways people use AI. The workshop starts with a talk on where vibe coding came from, where it stands in 2026 (including an insider view from my time at Lovable, one of the big vibe coding platforms), its upsides and downsides, and how to find your way through the flood of advice from AI gurus. Afterward, we split into groups and discuss the different views and opinions in this space. No coding experience needed; the session works for any level of experience.