A panel between James Hughes, James Newton-Thomas, Lev Lafayette and Adam Ford (chair) at Future Day 2025. About If AI drives human wages to the ground, should everything else crash too? Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen envisions a future where AI-induced wage collapse leads to abundance—but what about land prices, investor returns, corporate profits, and living…
A discussion between David Pearce and James Hughes moderated by Adam Ford exploring the ethical and philosophical landscapes of AI, human enhancement and the future of emerging technologies affording higher states of well-being. Pearce and Hughes discuss the implications of transforming human experience via leveraging biotech and cybernetics, as well as requirements for AI to…
The pandemic has launched a debate about the future of work around the world. Those who can work remotely have often found they prefer remote or flexible, hybrid options. The Great Resignation has put upward pressure on wages and benefits in the service sector, encouraging the implementation of automation. Climate change mitigation is encouraging a…
James Hughes is the ED of IEET – He discusses the Russia/Ukraine conflict in relation to the history of NATO and Russia, the social democratic project. He then discusses global catastrophic risks of nuclear and biotech and the problems surrounding fake news. Audio:
Panelists: James Hughes, PJ Manney (both at IEET), and Pramod Nayar (Hyderabad Uni) discuss humanities fitness for the future – covering important points including: Are we morally equipped to deal with humanities grand challenges? If the majority population of a democratic state were morally deficient, would it be okay to morally enhance the population, or…
James Hughes discusses the neuroanatomy of moral cognition, and the potential for brain stimulation and brain-computer interfaces to modulate moral emotions, cognition and behavior. This talk was part of the ‘Stepping Into the Future‘ conference. Video here. Audio: Synopsis: Links between brain structures and cognition began with studies of victims of brain injuries, and…
“Thinking Machines in the Physical World” invites cross-disciplinary conversations about the opportunities and threats presented by advances in cognitive computing: – What concrete, real-world possibilities does intelligence-focused technology open up? – What potential effects will “smart computers” exert on labor and jobs around the globe? – What are the broader social implications…
James Hughes James Hughes wears many hats. He is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), a bioethicist, and a sociologist at Trinity College. There, he lectures on health policy and directs institutional research and planning. Hughes holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago—where he also taught…
The panelists are Steve Fuller, David Wood, James Hughes Podcast of panel here Discussion points: Effective Futurist Politics Futurist caucuses within existing political establishments “the future of politics” in the sense of “Politics 2.0” Political struggles within transhumanism Transhumanist politicisation controversy Transhumanism definition controversies Comparison of futurist related political positions Transhumanist political organisations Transhumanist…
Rejecting the two extremes of bioconservatism and libertarian transhumanism, Hughes argues for a third way, “democratic transhumanism,” a radical form of techno-progressivism which asserts that the best possible “posthuman future” is achievable only by ensuring that human enhancement technologies are safe, made available to everyone, and respect the right of individuals to control their own…
