In this provocative and accessible talk, ethicist and novelist Mark Peres invites audiences to explore one of the most profound questions of the 21st century: What does it mean to share the future with intelligent machines?
Drawing on the ideas at the heart of his new novel, The Accord, Peres looks beyond today’s headlines to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping our understanding of consciousness, agency, and responsibility — and how it might evolve from a mere tool into a genuine collaborator in the human story.
Through a blend of philosophy, literature, and real-world examples, he outlines three possible futures for human–AI relations — subordination, domination, or transformative partnership — and offers guiding principles to ensure that this powerful technology serves humanity rather than distorts it. This is not a technical presentation but a spirited conversation about values, imagination, and the choices that will determine whether AI deepens our humanity or diminishes it.