# Announcing ILIAD2: ODYSSEY

We are pleased to announce ILIAD2: ODYSSEY—a 5-day conference bringing together 100+ researchers to build scientific foundations for AI alignment. This is the 2nd iteration of ILIAD, which was [first held in the summer of 2024](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/r7nBaKy5Ry3JWhnJT/announcing-iliad-theoretical-ai-alignment-conference). 

**\*\*\***[**Apply to attend by June 1!**](https://forms.gle/zpJDiz5Dor3KtVrR8)**\*\*\***
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*   **When**: Aug 25-29, 2025
*   **Where**: @[Lighthaven](https://www.lighthaven.space/) (Berkeley, US)
*   **What**: Unconference with participant-led programming, 100+ attendees.
*   **Who**: Currently confirmed attendees include Scott Garrabrant, Daniel Murfet, James Crutchfield, Jesse Hoogland, Adam Shai, and Jacob Hilton
*   **Costs**: Tickets are free. Financial support for travel and accommodations is available on a needs basis. 

See our website [here](https://www.iliadconference.com/). For any questions, email iliadconference@gmail.com 

![Stylized image of Odysseus encountering the cyclops Polyphemus.](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfAHNrqtIniXci-V0kPvsMUJF-M7RoXS1p1SiXJK6D5T3bR4zUEiU07lkOrW_Hj5M1rbGpqUtulFzrlwesj7UI2vYS9iAYmAmtygl9t8TDgCiwnYDVAR25KKQvhjvJTNU2cHLmP4Q?key=URCxYKIcDV8unKTJoiUTl7dK)

About ODYSSEY
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ODYSSEY is a 100+ person conference about alignment with a mathematical focus. ODYSSEY will feature an *unconference format—*meaning that participants can propose and lead their own sessions. We believe that this is the best way to release the latent creative energies in everyone attending.

The ILIAD conferences are the premier gathering for all things theory and alignment. Topics include: [Singular Learning Theory](https://www.lesswrong.com/w/singular-learning-theory), [Agent Foundations](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3vDb6EzBpaHqDqQif/some-summaries-of-agent-foundations-work-1), [Causal Incentives](https://causalincentives.com/), [Computational Mechanics](https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/gTZ2SxesbHckJ3CkF/transformers-represent-belief-state-geometry-in-their), Safety-by-Debate, Scalable Oversight and more.

To get a better sense of what might happen, you can view the schedule for last year’s ILIAD conference [here](https://iliadschedule.vercel.app/ILIAD?view=grid).

Financial Support
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Financial support for accommodation & travel are available on a needs basis. We may not be able to offer support to everyone who requests it. 

Proceedings
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We are planning to announce a call for papers for the ODYSSEY Proceedings. Submissions will undergo a peer review process, and provisionally accepted papers will be invited to give a featured talk at ODYSSEY. If you would like to submit a manuscript to the Proceedings, please indicate so your application form and we will be in touch. The submission deadline will be around the end of June. More details to be announced. 

Artwork
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We are looking for Odyssey-themed artwork to use for ODYSSEY. You can share suggestions in the comments below or send us a message at iliadconference@gmail.com.