The future of ethics and emerging technologies
A conference in Central London (SE1), organised by the IEET and London Futurists
Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September
Venue: LSBU Hub – London South Bank University
Note that this is an in-person event:
- All speakers will be giving their presentation in person, at the LSBU Hub venue.
- There will be no live-streaming from the event – although all presentations will be recorded and subsequently uploaded for wider viewing.
Brief description
We live in a time of dramatic changes in the capabilities of technologies. Political and social norms are being disrupted as never before. The future is deeply uncertain. Humanity faces a bewildering mix of risks of catastrophe. But we also have the potential to transition to a new state of civilisation – a new relationship with technology and the environment – featuring unparalleled increases in all-round flourishing.
In this state of confusion and turmoil, how can society reach the wisest decisions about which technologies to encourage and which to constrain? How can society ensure that these decisions are followed in practice, rather than being ignored or subverted by powerful short-sighted forces? How can a technoprogressive coalition grow in strength, as a decisive counter to existing worldviews which are more likely to leave humanity diminished, fragmented, or even extinct?
These are the questions at the heart of the technoprogressive opportunity.
Speakers
Information about speakers is available here.
Schedule
The event will run from 9:30 to 17:00 on Saturday 19th September, and from 10:00 to 17:00 on Sunday 20th September. Both days will include a 90 minute break for lunch and networking , and another 30 minute refreshment break in the afternoon.
In more detail (some aspects are subject to change):
>> Saturday morning <<
09:30 Registration & morning coffee
10:00 Rohit Talwar, Global futurist and publisher, Fast Future
Technopolitics 2035: How geopolitics and the technoprogressive agenda could shape each other
10:30 Marc Roux, President, Technoprog
Changing human nature or changing human institutions?
11:00 Eva Pascoe, Vice Chair, Royal Society of Arts
Anticipating the technoprogressive future of commerce and work
11:30 Pravar Petkar, Head of Strengthening Democracy Desk, International Centre for Sustainability
Can Technology Make Democracy More Democratic?
12:00 Lunch break (lunch not provided)
>> Saturday early afternoon <<
13:30 James Hughes, Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
Strengthening the technoprogressive current
14:00 Phoebe Barnard, Global change scientist, systems and civilisation shift strategist, Global Restoration Collaborative
Civilizational Blindspots and Risks: Caution Signs at the Crossroads
14:30 Nafeez Ahmed, Systems theorist, investigative journalist, strategic advisor, Age of Transformation
Planetary Phase Shift and Civilisation Renewal
15:00 Afternoon break
>> Saturday late afternoon <<
15:30 Parmy Olson, Technology Columnist, Bloomberg
Supremacy: The AI race that is changing the world
16:00 Mark Robinson, Senior Science Diplomacy Advisor, Oxford Martin School AI Governance Initiative
The future International Artificial Intelligence Agency
16:30 Alex Williams, Political theorist and author, University of East Anglia
The paradoxes of contemporary AI capitalism
17:00 Day 1 ends
17:30 Optional continuation of the conversation in a nearby pub/restaurant
>> Sunday morning <<
10:00 Registration & morning coffee
10:30 Matteo MacDermant, Researcher and podcaster, Bread and Robots
Technoprogressive Worldbuilding 101
11:00 Indra Adnan and Pat Kane, Co-Initiators and Founders, The Alternative UK
A Parallel Polis For The Regenerative Era
11:30 Indy Johar, Co-Founder, Dark Matter Laboratories
The Corrigible State
12:00 Lunch break (lunch not provided)
>> Sunday early afternoon <<
13:30 Paul Mason, Journalist, The New World; Author, “PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future”
PostCapitalism and Agentic AI
14:00 Steve Keen, Economist and author, Debunking Economics
How economists will destroy capitalism
14:30 Carissa Véliz, Professor in Philosophy, University of Oxford
Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future
15:00 Afternoon break
>> Sunday late afternoon <<
15:30 Mark Cliffe, Visiting Fellow, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter
Tipping Points – How Positive Should We Be?
16:00 Eli Zupnick, Communications Strategist, Singularity Communications
Technoprogressive opportunities: learning from the American situation
16:30 Aubrey de Grey, President and Chief Science Officer, LEV Foundation
Lessons from building a pro-longevity movement
17:00 Day 2 ends
17:30 Optional continuation of the conversation in a nearby pub/restaurant
About the venue
Address: 100-116 London Road, SE1 6LN
We’ll be in the Southwark Lecture Theatre (illustrated)
LSBU Hub is within a 20 minutes walk from either Waterloo, London Bridge, or Borough Market.
The venue can also be reached by a two minutes walk from the Elephant and Castle tube station: take the exit signposted as “South Bank University”.
Also in the neighbourhood
Accommodation
- H10 London Waterloo (4 star hotel)
- Travelodge London Waterloo
- City Hotel London (3 star hotel)
Lunch options
- Black Cowboy Coffee, 50 London Road
- Subway, 15 London Road
- Nando’s, Unit 4, Metro Central Heights, 119 Newington Causeway
- Paladar, 4-5 London Road
- Superway Supermarket, 16 London Road
Pubs
- The Prince of Wales Pub
- The Elephant & Castle Pub
- The Rockingham Arms (Wetherspoons pub)
Registration
Please register for this event only if you plan to attend the actual venue, at the LSBU Hub.
Registration is taking place via Luma, at this link.
In case of any difficulties or questions, please contact the organisers.
Selected further reading
The Technoprogressive Declaration (2014)
2017 update to the Technoprogressive Declaration
Publishing articles related to the event themes
The conference organisers invite people interested in the themes of the event to submit short articles to be published online ahead of the event.
These articles:
- Can address any of the themes of The Technoprogressive Opportunity
- Should contain between 1,000 and 6,000 words (not counting any references included)
- Can contains graphics in addition to the textual content
- Can include content reviewed or enhanced by AIs, but the person submitting the article mut accept responsibility for it.
These articles are being aggregated and published here.
About the image used above
The image used earlier in this page – a broad spiral with branching connections – depicts a growing technoprogressive current.
As the spiral expands, it encounters increasingly complex outer regions: denser networks, ambiguous structures, turbulence, competing currents, and darker zones.
This is no smooth inevitable ascent. Some pathways double back. Some branches terminate. Some are visibly rerouted after encountering instability. At several points, thin luminous “verification gates” cross the spiral, suggesting that greater capability is admitted only after scrutiny.
The image contains multiple distinct streams entering from different directions and joining the spiral without losing all their individuality. This represents pluralism, distributed participation, dissent, institutional diversity, and the principle of “by everyone, appropriately coordinated”.
The overall movement is from uncertainty toward earned trust and coherence, but without reaching a perfect final utopia. The outermost region remains open-ended.
London Futurists 