BRIGHTHINK

ADVANCE TICKETS are available at EVENTBRITE.

AI systems now write code, generate images, produce news content, and increasingly make decisions that affect everyday life—from what we see online to how businesses operate and resources are allocated. What once felt experimental is now embedded in the tools, platforms, and institutions many of us rely on, often in ways that are invisible but deeply influential.
This rapid integration has been matched by an intense media narrative: AI as breakthrough, AI as threat, AI as inevitable force reshaping work, creativity, and society itself. Headlines promise transformation or warn of disruption, yet the reality is more complex than either story suggests. Understanding where the technology truly is—and what its impacts actually look like—requires stepping beyond the hype.
Bringing together academic insight and technical expertise, Ron Chrisley (University of Sussex), Mark Kennedy (Imperial College London), and Oli Sharpe (GoMeta) will examine how AI is shaping our economy, our culture, and our future. In this timely and crucial discussion, they will explore what’s changing now, what remains uncertain, and which questions matter most as AI becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life.

This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available at this venue.

• DOORS OPEN : 19:00
• TALK STARTS : 19:30
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:30

ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT EVENTBRITE

What if the present moment – the ‘now’ we all inhabit – isn’t just a tick of the clock?
We feel that the present is everything; all we can know. Yet physics finds no universal ’now’.
Jo Marchant will be joining us to discuss her new book, In Search of Now, which shows how we each carve out our lived experience – sensations and emotions, actions and decisions – through our interactions with the world. Far from being an illusion or a mere slice of time, she argues that this evolving, interconnected tapestry is the source of our lives and selves, and perhaps even reality itself.
Jo explore the secrets of how our lives really unfold and draws on state-of-the-art discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, cosmology and quantum physics, to reveal a dynamic, creative process in which we all play a part.

Jo Marchant will also be signing copies of her latest book, In Search of Now, which will be available to purchase on the night.

This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately, there is no wheelchair access at the venue.

• DOORS OPEN: 7:00pm
• TALK STARTS: 7:30pm
• AUDIENCE Q&A: 8:30pm
• BOOK SIGNING: 9:00pm

ADVANCE TICKETS available at EVENTBRITE
(RSVP is £9.50 on the door, on the night)

Rather than trying to bend your mind around all the vast and confounding details of things like gravitational waves, electricity, and black holes, wouldn’t it be easier to understand just one central concept from which everything else follows?
If you’ve ever been fascinated by quantum computing but felt overwhelmed by quantum mechanics, or been concerned by climate change but struggled to grasp the details of global warming, join bestselling author Marcus Chown as he breaks down complex science into manageable chunks. He explains the one thing you really need to know to make sense of some of the most important ideas shaping our world today.
Packed with astounding facts, scientific history, and the entertaining personalities behind some of the most pivotal discoveries about our universe, this talk is an accessible guide to the tricky ideas you’ve always wanted to understand.

Marcus will also be signing copies of his new book, The One Thing You Need To Know, which will be available to purchase on the night.
This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available at this venue.

• DOORS OPEN : 19:00
• EVENT STARTS : 19:30
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:30
• BOOK SIGNING: 21:00

ADVANCE TICKETS available at EVENTBRITE
(RSVP is £12 on the door, on the night)

Can AI systems think, know, and understand?
Could they manipulate or deceive you, and if so, what might they make you do?
Whose interests do they represent?
When will they be able to move beyond words and take action in the real world?

Join Neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield as he explores these questions, charting AI's evolution from early ideas in the seventeenth century to today's deep neural networks. His latest book, These Strange New Minds, is the most accessible, up-to-date, and authoritative exploration of this radical technology. With an understanding of AI's inner workings, we can address the existential question of our age: can we look forward to a technological utopia, or are we writing ourselves out of history?

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Christopher Summerfield has one foot in the field of Cognitive Neuroscience – studying the brains of humans as Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford – and the other in AI research, helping build intelligent systems as a Staff Research Scientist at the pioneering Google DeepMind. He has won several awards, including the prestigious Cognitive Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award in 2015.

This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available at this venue.

• DOORS OPEN : 19:00
• TALK STARTS : 19:30
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:30
• BOOK SIGNING: 21:00