We Need to Talk About AI symposium (in person/online)

This event may be attended in person or online.

We Need to Talk About AI brings together leading researchers to examine the complex realities behind today’s most influential technologies. Far from the hype and inevitability narratives that increasingly dominate public discourse, this symposium offers critical, multidisciplinary perspectives on how AI is being developed, deployed, and governed—why, for whom, and what this might mean. Through rigorous, evidence‑based insights, and forward‑looking discussion, we will explore the societal, ethical, economic, and cultural implications of AI, asking questions about what actually constitutes intelligence.

PANEL - moderated by Rafael El Baz

Steven Pemberton – There is No I in Ai

Steven Pemberton is a distinguished researcher in the fields of interaction, declarative programming, and web technologies, based at the Dutch national research centre CWI in Amsterdam (national institute for mathematics and computer science of The Netherlands). He co-designed the language that Python is based on, was the first user of the open internet in Europe in 1988, and has been involved with the web from its inception, co-designing several web standards, including HTML, CSS, XHTML, XForms, and RDFa.

Ola Gwozdz - Cultural Innovation: The Art of Intelligent Restraint

Ola Gwozdz is a researcher, social scientist and organisational management expert working at the intersection of technological, social and sustainable innovation in an era of accelerated change and polycrisis. An award-winning researcher and international speaker, she is often described as a “data philosopher,” combining technological insight with cultural and organisational transformation. She is certified by the British Computer Society in building ethical AI.

Archana Prasad - Beyond Bias and Initiative

Archana Prasad is a creative technologist, researcher, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of AI, culture, and society. She is Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Gooey.AI. Her work brings together artistic practice, technological experimentation, and participatory research to explore how emerging AI systems can better reflect cultural diversity and collective knowledge.

Colum Finnegan – Degenerative AI: Creative Processes and the Human Edge

Colum Finnegan is a philosopher of cognitive science and technology specializing in the intersections of human mind formation, epistemic security, and global catastrophic risk. Based at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (Cambridge), his research investigates how the architectural and incentive structures of modern technologies—from social media to Large Language Models - shape human cognition and social evolution.

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Host or Publisher Istituto Marangoni London