Alan Winfield and Marina Jirotka chaired by Tilda Storey Law

Robotics researcher Professor Alan Winfield and computer scientist professor Marina Jiorotka discuss the extraordinary potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and the genuine dangers posed by this fast-advancing technology.

Artificial Intelligence has moved from science fiction – from HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey and Skynet in Terminator – into everyday life. It powers search engines, shapes art and even influences politics. As AI becomes more capable, many leading thinkers have begun to sound the alarm about the risks it poses. Are we approaching the ‘singularity’, the point at which machines surpass human intelligence and begin to make decisions on their own? And if so, what might that mean for humanity’s future?
Join us for a conversation with two leading experts who will unpack both the extraordinary potential and the genuine dangers of advancing AI. Just what threats does AI pose to us physically, psychologically, societally and environmentally, and what steps can we take to guide their development responsibly? What kind of relationship should humanity have with what promises to be its most powerful creation.

Winfield conducts research in cognitive robotics at the Bristol Robotics Lab. He is a member of the Science Communication Unit and undertakes public engagement work on robotics. He is author of Robotics: A Very Short Introduction.

Jirotka is professor of human-centred computing in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, where she leads interdisciplinary research that combines both social and computer science approaches to the design of technology. She is also director of the Responsible Technology Institute.

Discussions are chaired by Tilda Storey Law.