How to train the upcoming generation of AI researchers? Design principles and results from the Ethos+Tekhne initiative as a case study

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  1. Stefano Vrizzi ,  
  2. Alberto Arturo Vergani
    ,  
  3. Laura State
    ,  
  4. Filippo Galli
    ,  
  5. Amric Trudel ,  
  6. Sara Mazzucato
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Abstract

A lasting challenge for the next generation of AI researchers and professionals will be to shape a global AI infrastructure capable of accommodating stakeholder heterogeneity, while addressing technical constraints. It becomes crucial to provide early-career researchers and professionals in AI with the tools and the knowledge to understand the complexity of this challenge, and with the technical skills to partake in it. Here, we present core design features and results from a novel training initiative combining AI and ethics. This initiative is called “Ethos+Tekhne” because it centers on the discussion of two main questions: what kind of AI we want ( ethos), and how to achieve it concretely ( tekhne). Its programme was designed around three key principles: pluralism, narrative, and balance. In terms of pluralism, the training combined several types of theoretical and practical learning activities, as well as speakers from a variety of fields, including non-academic sectors and citizens. With regard to narrative, the training followed a programme-wide thread of thematic days. Finally, with respect to balance, on-site participant group size was limited to 30–40 individuals, in order to offer each participant the space and time to actively engage in discussions, while supporting online attendance to promote open access. Moreover, the programme schedule aimed to balance activity and break time to encourage participants to exchange their thoughts in informal settings. The hallmark of success of this initiative has been its regenerative nature: some first-edition participants led the organisation of the second edition, and some second-edition participants are currently organising the third edition. Content-wise, three axes of action in ethical AI development emerged from participants’ discussion: AI for Good, Good for AI, and Good AI. We report our rationale, programme design, and results, in the hope that these could provide material for future training programmes in AI, and potentially other technologies.

Corresponding author
Stefano Vrizzi
0009-0002-9748-2589
Grant information

The “Ethos+Tekhne: a new generation of AI researchers” spring school was funded by the first and the third EELISA Joint Calls for Inter-Institutional Activities under the European Union's Erasmus+ programme (Grant Agreements N. 101004081 and 101124676) and from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement N. 835294). Its last session at Cinema Arsenale in Pisa during the first edition was financed by Razionalisti Pisa. Stefano Vrizzi was funded by the AI4theSciences PhD programme (Grant Agreement N. 945304, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions-COFUND, Horizon 2020 programme) and by The ToBe project (Grant Agreement N. 101094211, Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme).

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Copyright
© 2026 Stefano Vrizzi (Corresponding Author, Co-Author); Alberto Arturo Vergani (Co-Author); Laura State (Co-Author); Filippo Galli (Co-Author); Amric Trudel (Co-Author); Sara Mazzucato (Co-Author) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Authors & roles

Stefano Vrizzi

UB School of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, 75005, France

Roles
Corresponding Author, Co-Author, Conceptualization, Data Curation, Formal Analysis, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing
0009-0002-9748-2589

Alberto Arturo Vergani

Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Università di Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy

The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa, 56025, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

Laura State

Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, 56126, Italy

Università di Pisa, Pisa, 56127, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

Filippo Galli

Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, 56126, Italy

Roles
Co-Author, Conceptualization, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Writing – Original Draft Preparation

Amric Trudel

Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Paris, 75005, France

Centre de recherche en Épidémiologie et Santé des Populations, Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, INSERM, Paris, France

Roles
Co-Author, Formal Analysis, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing
0009-0002-9125-9597

Sara Mazzucato

The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Pisa, 56025, Italy

Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015, The Netherlands

Roles
Co-Author, Funding Acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project Administration, Resources, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing

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