Is AI an Existential Threat to Humanity?
Sougwen Chung, Carl Miller, Stuart Russell and Meredith Walker discuss the race to develop artificial intelligence and its consequences with chair Madhumita Murgia.
Tech giants like Google and OpenAI are investing large amounts of money and resources into creating AI systems that hope to outthink and outperform human intelligence, all in the name of solving some of humanity’s most complex problems, and to make profits for their shareholders.
Some experts are beginning to sound the alarm that the push to create ever more sophisticated AI could pose an existential threat to humankind. The fear is that machines could potentially turn against us or become too powerful for us to control.
On the other hand, supporters argue that the benefits of AI far outweigh the risks, and that we can design systems with ethical considerations and safeguards to ensure their safe and responsible use.
But the risks of AI are serious, with concerns ranging from mass unemployment to life and death decisions being made by machines with no human emotion, as well as the possibility of AI being used by bad actors in cyber warfare.
Join us at the Southbank Centre for a debate on the future of technology, its impact on society and altogether one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Experts explore the pros and cons of advanced AI, and whether we can ensure its development is guided by ethical and responsible principles.
Sougwen Chung’s work explores the mark-made-by-hand and the mark-made-by-machine as an approach to understanding the dynamics of humans and systems. A former research fellow at MIT’s Media Lab, TED speaker and artist-in-resident at Bell Labs, Sougwen Chung is considered a pioneer in the field of human-machine collaboration.
Carl Miller is research director and co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media (CASM) at the think tank Demos. He presented the BBC's flagship technology programme Click and is author of The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab.
Stuart Russell is an acclaimed computer scientist known for his contributions to artificial intelligence. He is a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley and was an adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.
Meredith Whittaker is president of the Signal Foundation. She formerly worked at Google for 13 years, where she founded the company's Open Research Group. She is also the co-founder and faculty director of the AI Now Institute at New York University.
Madhumita Murgia is a journalist who writes about technology and society. She is currently the Financial Times’ artificial intelligence editor, where she covers cutting-edge developments in AI globally, and broader issues including surveillance, data privacy and tech regulation.
Presented in association with Intelligence Squared
Need to know
For ages 16+
This event is Speech-to-Text transcribed (STT).
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our Access & facilities information
This event is also available to watch online.
Find out more
Dates & times
Price
- Standard entryFrom £15*
- Concessions25%**
* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.
Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
** Limited availability. Read about concessions.
Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. You can return your tickets to the Southbank Centre for a credit voucher up to 48 hours before the event. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.
Get presale tickets
Members get the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Venue
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff.
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open 90 minutes before events
Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5-7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2-5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river.
Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.
Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.
If you don't receive your e-ticket
Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected]. If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch.
More information
Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.
Get an overview of the seating layout of Queen Elizabeth Hall by downloading our seating plan.
Toilets
An accessible toilet is located in the foyer.
A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1 Royal Festival Hall next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.
The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. Please visit the Welcome Desk on Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, where a member of staff can provide you with the key. You can also use the phone next to the Changing Places toilet to speak to a member of staff. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.
Cloakroom
The Queen Elizabeth Hall cloakroom is closed. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the Queen Elizabeth Hall, so please leave large bags at home.
We're cash-free
Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site.
For step-free access from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating (excluding rows A to C) and wheelchair spaces in the Rear Stalls, plus Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer and the Purcell Room, please use the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.
To reach this entrance, enter the Royal Festival Hall via the Southbank Centre Square Doors. Take the JCB Glass Lift to Level 2 and exit to the Riverside Terrace. Turn right to find the Queen Elizabeth Hall main entrance.
You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2.
For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating rows A to C and wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls, please enter via the Artists' Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road (Level 1).
Talk to a member of staff at the auditorium entrance if you have a disability that means you can’t queue, or you need extra time to take your seat. They can arrange priority entry for you as soon as the doors open.
Please bear with us while we update our access map to reflect the refurbishment of the Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces. The step-free routes remain the same.
From a snack with coffee to cocktails and fine dining, plus some of London's best street food – it's all here on the Southbank Centre site.