Artificial intelligence is already revolutionising our everyday lives, with the impact of AI only set to increase as the technology advances.

But what does this mean for society in general? Will robots take our jobs? Will humanity lose control to some form of superintelligence, or is the existential threat of AI being overhyped?

Join a panel of Oxford experts in AI ethics and application as they discuss the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.


Speakers:

A hybrid event with world-leading climate scientist Dr Friederike Otto. She will be discussing why the world's attention needs to refocus on climate change. Dr Otto will be in conversation with our Director of Journalist Programmes, Mitali Mukherjee, and we will also include expert comments from other speakers plus an audience Q&A.

Authoritarianism is on the rise globally, with more than twice as many countries experiencing democratic decline as democratic enhancement in recent years. This has been occurring simultaneously with unprecedented rates of urbanization in many parts of the world, raising questions about the role of cities - often considered the focal points of democratic deepening - in this authoritarian turn.

A large, robust and ever growing body of evidence concludes that if we are to achieve our net zero climate commitments and address our many SDG goals - from zero hunger, to good health and wellbeing, to responsible consumption and production - then diets will need to change.

This panel explores the situation of minorities in the Balkans through the discussion of the Alevis and Bektashis. Comprising a ‘double minority,’ Alevis and Bektashis, are commonly mis-categorised or made invisible through their articulation as part of the Muslim minority communities. In recent years, partly in response to changing political circumstances, increasing conflict and sectarianism, Alevis and Bektashis have started to mobilise to break-out of their marginalised status, and are having to navigate their complex national contexts, transnational linkages, and geopolitical pressures.

On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, giving rise to the deadliest conflict on European soil since the Second World War. How could this happen in twenty-first-century Europe? Why did Putin decide to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine, a war which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014?

The historiography of contemporary Europe has predominantly centered around urban and metropolitan experiences. Meanwhile, rural regions, their inhabitants, and village life have often been depicted as hindrances to modernization or as manifestations of backwardness. With the decline of modernization theory's prominence in contemporary history, the emphasis on urban cultures has only intensified. In this regard, I propose a paradigm shift in our approach to contemporary European history, advocating for a greater focus on rural spaces.

Richard Davy has recently published Defrosting the Cold War and beyond: an Introduction to the Helsinki Process, 1954 – 2022 (Routledge, 2023). He will be joined on the platform by Dr Kai Hebel (Assistant Professor, Leiden University, The Netherlands) who is completing his own book on the UK and the Helsinki Process; and Professor Juhana Aunesluoma (University of Helsinki, Finland, and Visiting Scholar at St Antony’s College).

The discussion will be chaired by Professor Anne Deighton (Wolfson College)