Last Sunday, June 8, INESC-ID brought AI into the spotlight at the Feira do Livro Lisboa 2025 (Lisbon Book Fair 2025) as researcher Arlindo Oliveira presented his book, “Generative Artificial Intelligence”, at the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos stage. The presentation, in a roundtable format, featured insights from fellow INESC-ID researcher Luísa Coheur and Instituto de Telecomunicações researcher Mário Figueiredo.

Throughout the one-hour talk, the three researchers delved into the definition of Generative Artificial Intelligence, its potential risks regarding privacy, security, and the spread of misinformation, and the many questions it raises. They reflected on whether AI could one day experience emotions, delve into creativity and reasoning, develop a conscience, and what ethical and philosophical challenges might arise if it does. As it is stated in the book’s synopsis: “Will machines one day have rights and obligations like the rest of us? It’s worth thinking about.”

Generative Artificial Intelligence is a technology built on several decades of research in the area of automatic learning and has captured attention since the launch of ChatGPT. The interest, however, now extends beyond the research community. The book, which followed an essay on the topic and an invitation from Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, aims to address this matter, presenting and contextualising artificial intelligence, the methodologies within, and its applications and potential risks, in a way that’s accessible to a general audience.