The Oxford Philosophy, Law, and Politics (PLP) Colloquium is an interdisciplinary series that brings together scholars from philosophy, law, politics, and related fields to discuss works in progress by distinguished researchers.
In the 2026–27 academic year, the Colloquium will take a new direction. Reflecting the growing importance of artificial intelligence across all domains of inquiry, the series will focus on cutting-edge AI research of significance for philosophy, law, and politics. Our speakers will be drawn from Oxford and London institutions and will include leading researchers from psychology and neuroscience, philosophy, computer science, and engineering.
The series is cheekily entitled What Philosophers, Lawyers, and Political Theorists Should Know About AI Research. Its aim is to bring scholars working on the technical frontiers of AI into conversation with members of the PLP community. We invite you to come and learn about the AI research being conducted by our Oxford and London colleagues that bears directly on questions of philosophical, legal, and political importance.
Each session will consist of a 45–50 minute non-technical presentation by the invited speaker, followed by discussion and Q&A. No prior technical background or pre-reading is required.
The 2026–27 Colloquium is co-sponsored by the Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI. The series is co-convened by Ruth Chang, David Enoch, and Edward Harcourt. We thank the Hewlett Foundation for funding that makes the Colloquium possible.
Carissa Véliz is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for Ethics in AI, and a Fellow at Hertford College at the University of Oxford. She is the author of Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI which was named on of the '23 Books We’re Looking Forward to This Spring' by the New York Times Book Review in 2026. Her other books include Privacy Is Power (an Economist Book of the Year, 2020) and the editor of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics.