Tom Kouwenhoven and Michiel van der Meer presented “Traces of Social Competence in Large Language Models” at the 30th Conference on Computational Natural Language Learning. [Read the paper here.]

Lennard Froma presented “Seeking Information with RAG-Assistants: Does Model Size Matter in Human-AI Collaborations?” at the Hybrid Human-Artificial Intelligence conference. [Read the paper here.]

Aida Gholami presented “The Architecture of Stickiness: Identity Marking and Narrative Overdetermination in AI-Generated Scenes” at the Computational Models of Narrative. [Read the paper here.]

The SIM Lab helped host the 2026 annual conference of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association, held 14-17 April at Het Pesthuis in Leiden. Alongside the regular programme, this year’s edition featured a dedicated [AI]volution theme track exploring what recent developments in AI mean for research across EHBEA’s disciplines — from machine behaviour and…

Max van Duijn has been elected chair of The Young Academy (De Jonge Akademie), the platform of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences for researchers in the early stages of their careers. [Read the full announcement here.]

Dorota Moravčíková has joined the SIM Lab as a research assistant, working on cognitive models for agent-based social simulations. She holds a BSc in Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience) from Leiden University with a NeuroAI minor, and is currently pursuing a Research Master’s in Cognitive Science at the University of Amsterdam.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is a skill that is used in both human and AI cognition to infer the mental states of others, and to use these mental states to predict their behaviour in the world. Experts from all over the world joined an AAAI conference workshop in Philadelphia to discuss the benefits and challenges…

How can AI be used in the professional field of the provinces? Developments in artificial intelligence are moving very quickly. It offers opportunities but also challenges. Experts from all twelve provinces shared their knowledge and experiences today at the first Interprovincial Generative AI day in Zwolle. An initiative from the Province of Limburg, the Province…

S01 / E03: using language as a window on the mind Assistant professor Max van Duijn combines cognitive science with Artificial Intelligence (AI). His research is on children’s stories and the question if they have a so-called Theory of Mind. This is the ability to understand the mental state of somebody else and use this…