The Last Humans – Toby Walsh at Festival of Dangerous Ideas

What if the biggest threat isn’t artificial intelligence, but belief in it?

We built AI to serve us. Now the people building it, funding it and regulating it can’t agree on what it is, what it can do, or what comes next.   

Some see AI as a revolutionary technology that will transform work, creativity and knowledge for the better. Others see a speculative bubble built on hype, vast energy consumption and exaggerated promises. Between the evangelists and the sceptics lies a growing struggle over who benefits, who loses, and who gets to decide. 

Are these systems genuinely intelligent, or are we mistaking statistical prediction for understanding? Are they creating new opportunities, or simply giving institutions another reason to cut costs, reduce labour and concentrate power? And as governments scramble to regulate, investors pour in billions and companies race to deploy tools they barely understand, the argument is no longer just about technology – it’s about work, trust, expertise and the future of human value. 

What happens if AI changes everything? And what happens if it doesn’t?

Cory Doctorow [CAN/UK], Eleanor Gammell, Toby Walsh
Chaired by Aubrey Blanche