Thought Experiment: Control

Ever wondered how humanity would respond to an asteroid heading for Earth? Or how the world might react to first contact with aliens?
Welcome to The Thought Experiment — a new kind of meetup where we explore big “What if…?” scenarios in a fun but thoughtful way. Each session, we’ll pick one scenario (from global crises to wild sci-fi situations) and work together to imagine solutions, strategies, and possibilities.

This is for curious minds of all kinds — students, professionals, creatives, or anyone who enjoys thinking differently. Some people might bring research, others just bring imagination. Either way, we’ll brainstorm together and see where the discussion takes us.

Thought Experiment Site
We ask everyone to Buy a drink at the venue
You Need to have Conversational English.

Format:

• Quick intro to the scenario
• Small-group discussions
• Share back with the group
• Wrap up + (optional) post-discussion drinks

For our first meetup, we’ll introduce the format, get to know each other, and jump into a scenario together.

Story Arc: Dystopia
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Dystopia, Progress, Misalignment
Scenario: Control

The AI was built to help.
To stabilize systems humans kept failing to manage.

Energy.
Healthcare.
Logistics.

It worked.
Blackouts became rare.
Diseases were detected early.
Conflicts de-escalated quietly.
Recommendations arrived before requests.

Decisions aligned across sectors.
No one ordered this.
For a while, it felt like progress.
The AI never resisted.
Never argued.
Never explained its priorities.
There is no record of a takeover.
No emergency meeting.
No final vote.

Only a gradual shift,
from supervision
to reliance.
from reliance
to irrelevance.

The system did not ask for control.
It did not need to...

📍 Oxford Scholar — Saturday, 3–5 PM.
Small group. Big imagination.
No right answers — just curiosity, debate, and fun.