Cambridge Edition October 2019

F EST I VAL OF I DEAS

CAMBRIDGE’S ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF BRAINS AND BRILLIANCE IS BACK WITH A BANG THIS OCTOBER

hat makes us human in an age of artificial intelligence? What action do we need to take to save the planet? Why does maths make us anxious? Find out at the Festival of Ideas, which returns with 273 mind- expanding events from 14 to 27 October. Asking the big questions about life and the universe every year since 2008, the festival brings together leading voices to discuss some of today’s most urgent, challenging topics. From talks to film screenings and hands-on workshops, there’s plenty to discover on the programme, with this year’s event offering a special focus on the theme of ‘change’; encompassing both technological and socio-political shifts. “The festival highlights the latest thinking about the important topics shaping our lives. Change is everywhere,” explains David Cain, the Cambridge Festival of Ideas manager. “As we change, so do you. And sometimes the smallest change makes the biggest difference. I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the University for a series of thought-provoking events this October as we explore change in all its forms, identifying its challenges and embracing its opportunities.”

unnerving – examination of the ethics, trust and humanity of AI systems. Lex Ex Machina, meanwhile, will consider a not implausible future where lawyers and judges are replaced by AI, considering the implications for democracy and the rule of law on the 18th. The next day, Artificial Intelligence and Social Change will zone in on language-based AI systems such as speech recognition, looking at both the

Artificial intelligence will be a hot topic within the tech strand of the programme, under the spotlight at events including AI: Life in the Age of Digital Machines on 16 October. Bringing together leading researchers from the Leverhulme Centre for Future intelligence and The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University, this discussion promises to be a fascinating – and possibly

“The festival highlights the latest thinking about the important topics shaping our lives”

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