Inaugural Australian NeuroSymbolic Systems Workshop
was held successfully
Congratulations! The Inaugural Australian NeuroSymbolic Systems Workshop was successfully held on 10th November, 2025
in Sydney, Australia!
Inaugural Australian NeuroSymbolic Systems Workshop:
Towards a National Vision for Trustworthy and
Verifiable AI
The rapid rise of generative AI—including the widespread deployment of Large Language Models (LLMs),
Vision-Language Models (VLMs), and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) systems—has transformed Australia’s
digital and industrial landscape. Yet their adoption in safety- and mission-critical systems has
exposed a pressing challenge: these models often lack human-level reasoning, domain expertise, and
verifiable assurance mechanisms needed for responsible deployment.
This workshop convenes leading Australian researchers to establish a national community on
NeuroSymbolic Systems—a research frontier that fuses neural learning with symbolic reasoning to achieve
interpretable, testable, and verifiable AI. By bridging perception and reasoning, neurosymbolic
approaches pave the way for AI that can be trusted in critical domains such as autonomous systems,
defense, health, and finance.
The workshop aims to coordinate joint initiatives under ARC Discovery Projects, Linkage Projects,
and Industry Transformation Hubs, aligning with the Australian Government’s Responsible AI and
Critical Technologies Agenda. It will also strengthen international collaboration with partners
in Singapore, Japan, the European Union, and the United States, where AI safety and assurance
frameworks are already emerging.
Through open dialogue and collaboration, participants will:
- Define a national research roadmap for neurosymbolic and verifiable AI.
- Form an interim steering committee to coordinate future funding and partnerships.
- Build Australia’s capacity for trustworthy, human-aligned AI innovation that integrates technical rigor with
ethical accountability.
This inaugural gathering marks a pivotal step toward uniting Australia's research strengths in
AI safety and interpretability, positioning the nation at the forefront of responsible, verifiable
AI on the global stage.
Workshop Agenda
Venue: 1 Central Courtyard Building (1CC), Macquarie University
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09:00 - 09:30
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Registration & Networking Coffee
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1CC 2nd Floor, Welcome Desk
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09:30 – 09:35
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Open Remarks
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Room 210 - Prof. Jian Yang (Macquarie University)
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09:35 – 09:45
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Workshop Opening & Overview
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Room 210 - A/Prof. Xi (James) Zheng (Macquarie University)
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Welcome participants, outline objectives, structure of the day, and expected outcomes (community building, research roadmap, and steering committee).
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10:45 - 11:00
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Morning Coffee & Tea Break
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Building Foyer
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12:00 - 13:30
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Networking Lunch
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Building Foyer
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14:00 – 15:30
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Breakout Session I: Key Research Directions
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Rooms 207 & 208
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Participants split into two groups to discuss national priorities; each group nominates a rapporteur to summarise outcomes.
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15:30 - 15:45
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Afternoon Coffee & Tea Break
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Building Foyer
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15:45 – 16:45
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Breakout Session II: Community Roadmap & Steering Committee Formation & Next Steps
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Room 210
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Rapporteurs present summaries; plenary merges ideas into a national research roadmap. Each university cohort nominates one representative through an open, collegial process facilitated by A/Prof. Zheng.
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16:45 – 17:00
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Closing Remarks
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Room 210 — A/Prof. Xi (James) Zheng
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Summary of outcomes, next workshop planning, and coordination.
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