Thinking About Thinking
Originating in Princeton · 2020Vol. I · No. 1 · Summer 2026Ideas about intelligence.
The Standing Society

The Fellowship.

Our global fellowship programme. Fellows and ambassadors in more than 200 cities and almost as many countries, in touch all year.

The Thinking About Thinking Fellowship at the AE Global Summit, London.

The Fellowship is made up of fellows and ambassadors: researchers, engineers, clinicians, artists and founders working across AI, neuroscience, cognitive science, robotics and mathematics. You join by application or invitation, and most new members are introduced by existing ones.

Members meet in person at seminars, conferences and salons, and online in Thought Channel. They share papers and books in the Reading Room and message each other privately. We also co-host events with universities, labs, galleries and gardens working on related things.

Everyone in it is working on the same question: what intelligence is and how it develops.

For current fellows
Thought Channel · Private

Thought Channel.

Our private members’ app. It has the Common Room, the Reading Room, the fellows directory and the calendar of seminars, conferences and salons.

Open Thought Channel →

You join in two steps: the Ambassador Programme, then the Fellowship.

The Ambassador Programme

Apply to Be an Ambassador

The Ambassador Programme is a year-long, contribution-based role for students and early-career researchers working on intelligence across disciplines. It runs across universities, labs and time zones, and it's how most people first get involved with us.

How much you contribute is up to you. We keep a record of what you do and credit it where it makes sense. Ambassadors who contribute consistently are considered for the Fellowship, which is invite only.

What ambassadors do
  1. Help us run the conferences, summits and seminars.
  2. Share academic opportunities within your institution and your networks.
  3. Run local meetups, reading groups and small get-togethers.
  4. Act as the liaison between us and your university or lab.
  5. Take part in our discussions, on and off the record.
What ambassadors receive
  1. Early or discounted access to our events and conferences; free in some cases.
  2. Invitations to our online seminars and community sessions.
  3. Recognition within our community.
  4. A network across disciplines and countries.
  5. A clear path toward the Fellowship.
Apply

We read every application.

Applications are open on a rolling basis and we read every one ourselves. We care more about the quality of your thinking than your credentials.

Apply
The Fellowship

By Invitation Only

Fellows are invited, usually after contributing as ambassadors over a long period. Once you're in, membership is ongoing and we expect you to stay active.

Qualities we look for
  1. Careful, clear thinking and a willingness to work on hard ideas.
  2. A history of organising: meetups, hackathons, journal clubs, reading groups.
  3. A record of contributing to our work over time.
  4. Willingness to engage across disciplines, perspectives and methods.
  5. Being generous and reliable in discussion.
What Fellows receive
  1. Private, closed-door seminars with our invited speakers and peers.
  2. Priority and VIP access to our summits, conferences and salons.
  3. Direct engagement with our speakers and the institutional leaders we host.
  4. Ongoing membership of a long-term research community.
  5. Work references from us where appropriate.

There are no mandatory outputs, quotas, or performance metrics.

Read on
Annual Meeting · London

AE Global Summit

Open Problems for AI. Our annual three-day meeting in London. 25 to 27 November 2026.

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Across the year

Events and seminars

Our conferences, seminars and salons. Some are public, some are by application and some are invite only.

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Long memory of the work

Recordings

Talks, panels and seminar sessions recorded at our events.

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