Dear Futurists,
For much of 2024, I’ve prioritised podcast episodes more than webinars and/or physical meetups.
However, over the next eight days, there will be (count them) four different chances for friends and members of London Futurists to meet.
Read on for the details.
1.) The Narrow Path: The big picture – Sat 9th Nov
In a Zoom webinar from 4pm UK time this Saturday (that’s in two days’ time), we’ll hear from two of the authors of a pair of important documents that have been published recently:
- A Narrow Path: How to Secure Our Future
- The Compendium: The race to AGI, extinction risks and what to do about them
We’ll also be hearing from three independent expert commentators on potential futures involving AI that has improved beyond present-day capabilities.
The full set of panellists is:
- Chris Scammell, the COO of Conjecture and one of the principal authors of The Compendium
- Andrea Miotti, the Executive Director of Control AI and the lead author of A Narrow Path
- Robert Whitfield, Chair of Trustees of One World Trust
- Mariana Todorova, a core member of the team in the Millennium Project studying scenarios for the transition between AI and AGI
- Daniel Faggella, the Founder and Head of Research of Emerj.
For more details, and to register to attend, click here.
2.) London Futurists in the Pub – Tues 12th Nov
On Tuesday next week, there will be a real-world gathering of London Futurists in Ye Olde Cock Tavern in London’s Fleet Street.
The general description of the event is:
Members and friends of London Futurists are invited to meet over a light meal and drinks for a roundtable discussion of whatever’s on people’s minds about the future.
You’ll hear a small number of short presentations on various “opportunities and risks” from futurist perspectives, and you’ll be welcome to join in the discussion. There will also be plenty of opportunity for impromptu group conversations, as well as networking in subgroups and 1-1.
For this event, we need to inform the venue of our expected numbers in advance – along with any requests for food to be prepared.
For more details, and to register to attend, click here.
3.) AI Harms and Actionable Responses – Thurs 14th Nov
Normally two events within just a few days would be a cue to take a break for a while, but at short notice, another opportunity arose that was too good to miss.
Friends of London Futurists within PauseAI have put together an event at London’s Newspeak House on Thursday next week, that is likely to interest many readers of this newsletter.
I expect that a number of you might disagree with some of the proposals being made at this event. In that case, you’ll have a chance during the Q&A portion to state your own recommendations for the future of AI.
For more details, and to register to take part, click here.
4.) AI and the future of libertarianism – Fri 8th Nov
The fourth in this series of events I’m listing is, chronologically, the earliest. It’s happening at 4pm UK time tomorrow (Friday 8th Nov) and it is taking place here on the Ploutos platform.
I’ll be speaking on the subject “AI and the future of libertarianism”, and the theme is “The choices that will enable profound freedom”.
Among many other things, that presentation gives me an opportunity to revisit a slide I first used in 2015, depicting two possible evolutions from the mediocrity of “Politics 1.0” – and to bring it up to date:
A quick word about accessing the Ploutos platform:
Before you can reach the event page and view the presentation, 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”.
5.) Two thoughts on Trump 2.0
Did I just mention Politics 2.0? Well, how about Trump 2.0?
Yesterday, I surprised myself by writing not one but two personal blogposts on the results of the US election. They’re both pretty short. If you’re interested, you can view them by clicking on the images below.
A bump on the road – but perhaps only a bump:
6.) 100 not out: London Futurists Podcast
When Calum Chace and I released the first few episodes of the London Futurists Podcast during September 2022, we had no idea that our little experiment would become so popular.
A couple of days ago, episode 100 was released. We continue to be encouraged by the very positive feedback we receive. The archives are full of fascinating material.
Since our last newsletter, another four more episodes of London Futurists Podcast have been released:
- Gen AI cuts costs by 30%: lessons from a leading law firm, with David Wakeling (episode 97)
- A narrow path to a good future with AI, with Andrea Miotti (episode 98)
- The race for AI supremacy, with Parmy Olson (episode 99)
- Insights from 15 years leading the self-driving vehicle industry, with Sterling Anderson (episode 100)
Enjoy!
// David W. Wood
Chair, London Futurists
London Futurists 