Dear Futurists,
The next seven days provide us with not one but two opportunities to exchange and debate ideas and insights about future possibilities. Tomorrow, there’s a chance to gather online, in a new platform called Ploutos, to review potential future scenarios regarding fake news. And on Wednesday next week, there’s a chance for people in or near London to gather offline in a pub which was founded way back in 1549.
For the details, read on!
1.) AI and the Future of Deep Fakes – Tomorrow
Fakery and deception have been part of human communications since prehistory. Each new generation of more powerful technologies brings additional possibilities, both for the spread of misinformation, and also to detect it and neutralise it. However, the headlong acceleration of new AI capabilities will put even greater stresses on human society. What are our options to respond to these new challenges?
To address that topic, I’ll be the main speaker at an online event that is being hosted on a new platform, Ploutos, from 4pm to 5:30pm UK time tomorrow (Friday 27th September).
I understand that the streaming functionality in Ploutos is like going live on various other online media platforms, except that Ploutos is designed for the AI community.
To watch the event live, and to take part in the live chat, you’ll need to click on this link, and before you can listen, you will need to create an account for yourself on Ploutos.
Note that there are several levels of membership on Ploutos. To join at the free level, you’ll need to click on the “Edit Your Plan” button, and choose the option “Creator $0”.
Depending on how well this experiment goes, I have provisionally agreed to give two other talks in Ploutos in the weeks ahead:
- AI and the future of human enhancement
- AI and the future of libertarianism.
Note: you may find it better to watch this stream on a device with a large screen, such as a notebook, rather than a mobile phone.
2.) Futurist Points of View, Wed 2nd October
On Wednesday next week, from 6pm UK time, members and friends of London Futurists are invited to meet over drinks and a light meal for a roundtable discussion of whatever’s on people’s minds about the future.
For example, attendees may volunteer to offer 5-10 minutes of their views about:
- A brief review of a book, or film, or podcast episode, that they would recommend to other futurists;
- A question that’s on their mind, and they really wish they could hear a good answer;
- A short commentary on a recent news story (e.g. a technological innovation, or some proposed political action);
- A request for specific assistance on a futurist-related project they are running (or hope to run).
Come to the meeting prepared to offer a few minutes of joined-up thinking on one of the above topics. Or, come simply to listen, perhaps to speak up if the spirit strikes you, and to meet old and new friends.
We’ll be in a room on the top floor in a pub in Fleet Street, Ye Olde Cock, where previous regulars have included Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774), Charles Dickens (1812-1870), and Lord Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892).
There’s an ornate carving of a cock above the front door, which was sculpted by Grinling Gibbons (1648-1721).
Despite the great age of the pub, it has wifi, and a screen in our meeting room, where participants will be welcome to briefly display a few slides to illustrate their points of view.
To ensure the meeting remains comfortable for attendees and doesn’t get overcrowded, we’ll probably have to stop accepting RSVPs shortly. To register before then, visit this page. You’ll then be contacted to confirm whether you want to order any food in advance, as the venue prefers for smooth operation of their kitchen.
(Anyone who RSVPs Yes but then fails to turn up on the day will be deprioritised for attendance in future events, sorry!)
3.) London Futurists Podcast goes from strength to strength
Since our last newsletter, four more episodes of London Futurists Podcast have been released:
- Climate change and populism: Grounds for optimism? with Matt Burgess (episode 96)
- Rejuvenation biotech – progress and potential, with Karl Pfleger (episode 95)
- ChatGPT runs for president, with Pedro Domingos (episode 94)
- The rise of digital pandemics, with James Ball (episode 93)
I’m biased, but I think they’re all excellent listening!
If you listen and you like what you hear, please give a five star rating on whichever app you use for podcasts. And maybe even write a short review. It all helps to widen the community of people who care deeply about thoughtful, informed, serious discussion of potential radical forthcoming scenarios.
// David W. Wood
Chair, London Futurists
London Futurists 