Escape from humanity: the narratives behind Big Tech

Join the Future Narratives Lab for a lunchtime session exploring the narratives that have shaped the technology platforms now playing a greater role than ever in our culture and society.  We will be joined by:

• Dr Kanta Dihal - Senior Research Fellow and project lead of the Global AI Narratives project at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge
• Jeannette Estruth, Assistant Professor of American History at Bard College, and a Faculty Associate at the Harvard University Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
• Michael Sacasas, Editor The Convivial Society, Author of the ‘The Frailest Thing: 10 years of thinking about technology’
• Daniel Stanley, Founder & CEO - Future Narratives Lab

While often presenting themselves as bastions of neutral rationality, the huge technology platforms that dominate our digital lives have from their origins been driven by particular ideological assumptions. Peculiar and often fantastical narratives, from a transcendent merging of human and machine intelligence in the Singularity, to the prospect of settling Martian colonies, have motivated both their founders’ rise to power, and its ruthless defence.

In justifying their dominance, and presenting it as legitimate and beneficial to the wider public, they have also deployed and encouraged particular narratives about how the world works, about the nature of the individual in society, and the proper relation of technology to both.

Join us for a lunchtime session to explore the roots and characteristics of these narratives, how they rely on and reinforce often dangerous and obsolete assumptions, what the real world impact of these narratives might be, and how they are likely to react and evolve as they come under ever greater scrutiny.

The Future Narratives Lab is a non-profit initiative that works to define and analyse the underlying cultural models that shape the debates around key challenges of our time, and design alternative approaches that create better outcomes.

The Lab depends entirely on backing from our supporters, including donations from people like you. For this reason we are offering 3 types of ticket for this event, a standard £5 donation ticket,  a free ticket for those who can't afford more, and a £15 supporter ticket for organisations and individuals who want to help us to continue hosting events and activities like this.

This event is happening with the support of Cohere Partners. Further details on each of the presentations will be released shortly.