Tuesday 7th May - 06:00 PM BST
Headline Debate: AI and the End of Humanity
What does it mean to be human?
From sophisticated robots to the development of new drugs, artificial Intelligence is shaping our future in many sectors. Once we thought the creation original text and forms of art were the select preserve of human beings. But the exponential development of AI is challenging these assumptions. An increasing number claim that AI threatens the very idea of what it is to be human. A recent survey of more than 900 technology pioneers and policy leaders predicted AI would threaten human autonomy and agency, with over a third saying we would be worse off in the future. Confirmed they argue by Musk's proposal that we should link our brains directly to machines.
Should we see AI as opening up an era of groundbreaking innovation, or does it foreshadow the loss of vital human attributes and independence? Does AI fundamentally challenge what it means to be human? Or is all the talk of its radical importance a sign that we have been taken in by the marketing hype of a enormously profitable industry, and humans not only remain very much in control but will continue to do so?
Big ideas in your inbox.
Updates from the world's greatest minds - plus offers and discounts.
Joscha Bach
Leading cognitive scientist
Joscha Bach is a trailblazing cognitive scientist who is pushing the limits of what we can achieve with Artificial Intelligence. As an AI researcher for MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Programme for Evolutionary Dynamics, he is constantly exploring new frontiers in cognitive architectures, mental representation, emotion, social modeling, and multi-agent systems. With a passionate mission to build a model of the mind that rivals the complexity and capability of the human brain, Bach is at the forefront of the creation of new AI systems.
Liv Boeree
Poker world-champion
Liv Boeree is one of the most successful female poker players of all time, with over $4m in live tournament earnings. A self-confessed nerd with a first-class degree in astrophysics, Liv combined her science background and passion for games to become one of the most recognizable faces in professional poker. She was the #1 ranked female player from 2014-2016, and holds both the European Poker Tour and World Series of Poker championship titles. Since retiring from professional poker in 2018, Liv is now a leading figure in the effective altruist movement.
Güneş Taylor
Molecular biologist and science communicator
Güneş Taylor is part of the Francis Crick Institute, the London-based biomedical research centre. As a molecular biologist she uses many cutting-edge technologies to understand how reproductive systems are built. Güneş is a highly experienced public speaker, who has interviewed Richard Dawkins, Yuval Harari, Slavoj Zizek, Robert Plomin, Simon Baron-Cohen and Lord Robert Winston.
Eliezer Yudkowsky
Influential AI safety researcher
Eliezer Yudkowsky founded the field of AI Safety and is one of the world's leading voices on AI alignment. As a co-founder of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the founder of the Less Wrong rationalist community, he is one of the most outspoken people calling for an immediate halt to AI development.
