This project from a team directed by Tom Griffiths aims to create a Diverse Intelligences (DI) Hub on Natural and Artificial Minds. This hub will support interdisciplinary research taking a comparative approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive science that informs and is informed by comparative approaches to human and non-human minds.

The project’s objective is to improve understanding of how biological and artificial systems learn, reason, and generalize. By facilitating collaboration across disciplines and institutions, it aims to address key gaps in current knowledge and contribute to the responsible development of AI. Its work will support the development of more robust frameworks for evaluating intelligence and contribute to the ongoing dialogue around responsible innovation in artificial intelligence.

Research initiatives will include:

• Human Cognition vs. AI Efficiency: Investigating the cognitive mechanisms that enable humans to learn efficiently and generalize flexibly, in contrast to current limitations in AI systems.
• Taxonomy of Understanding: Creating a structured framework to characterize different types of understanding—such as linguistic, aesthetic, and causal—across both natural and artificial minds.
• Evaluating Machine Intelligence: Adapting psychological research methods, such as rational analysis and comparative behavioral tasks, to evaluate AI performance and decision-making.

The hub will also support education and public engagement through a Winter Fellows Program, offering short-term research and training opportunities during Princeton’s Winter session. The program will feature entry-level courses in AI and cognitive science, alongside mentorship from experienced researchers. Science Communication Workshops will help participants effectively share findings with broader audiences through op-eds, podcasts, and public lectures.

To promote international collaboration, the hub will coordinate with partner DI hubs through joint events like DI Summits, faculty-student exchanges, and collaborative grant proposals. The hub will benefit from resources at Princeton’s AI Lab and its existing Natural and Artificial Minds initiative, with long-term sustainability supported through external funding from the NSF and philanthropic foundations.