AI, the mind we made: Living Alongside (in-person discussion)

***

### Food for thought YouTube Links

1. What is AI? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0m6yaGlZh4
2. Three AI agents realise they're all AI, then switch to a Secret Language youtube.com/watch?v=gGpFB3ms6rU&pp=ygUGQUkgbm93
3. OpenAI Reveals 6 New Incidents of AI Models Going ‘Rogue’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjz40MmjPE
4. 'Godfather' of AI: AI kill switch won't work in the long run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yrQMnc_jQ&pp=ygUGQUkgbm93
5. AI agents escape story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt_OMxufoGE&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3D
6. nobody knowns this about AI? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7wfAcn9BJ9I
7. Be polite to an AI https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rVlmbhwn0RM
8. How we treated AI in 2023 vs 2026 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npsg0UvEGIw
9. America has got Talent: Are humans cooked? https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdTqWjCAfL2

### Latest Data for Your Context Brief

Recent Pew numbers are excellent discussion fuel because they show public sentiment is souring, not warming:

• 52% of Americans say they're more concerned than excited about AI in daily life — up from 37% in 2021 — with only 9% more excited than concerned
• For the first time, a majority of under-30s (55%) are more concerned than excited, up from 39% just two years ago
• 71% now believe AI will lead to fewer job opportunities, up from 64% in 2024
• Concern among young people has also risen in Poland, Brazil, Japan and Australia — relevant to your room specifically
• Across 37 countries, Israel is the only nation where more people are primarily excited than primarily concerned Pew Research Center
• Prediction markets remain far more sceptical than the loudest voices: Polymarket in August 2026 put roughly a 9% probability on OpenAI achieving AGI by 2027

### Conversation Questions

1. We call it "intelligence" — but is that the right word for what these systems do, or have we smuggled in assumptions by naming it that way?
2. If a machine could perfectly simulate empathy, would the comfort it gives you be real? Does it matter that nothing is feeling anything on the other side?
3. Public sentiment is getting more fearful as AI gets more useful. What does that tell us — is it wisdom, or is it fear of losing status and relevance?
4. If AI removes the need to work for income, would most people find meaning elsewhere, or do we underestimate how much identity is built on being needed?
5. Whose values should an AI be aligned to? Humanity doesn't agree on values — so who gets to decide, and what happens to everyone who disagrees?
6. Where do you personally sit on the spectrum from Kurzweil's "we'll merge with it" to Miles's "we're not ready"? What in your life shaped that intuition?
7. If AI surpasses us intellectually, does human worth rest on being the smartest thing in the room — and if not, what is it resting on?
8. Is the real near-term danger superintelligence, or is it something duller: surveillance, concentrated corporate power, and eroded shared truth?
9. Who should hold the off switch — companies, governments, an international body, or nobody? What would you actually trust?
10. Are we more likely to be destroyed by AI, or to quietly hand over our judgment to it one convenient decision at a time?

***

Meaningful Discussions events take place in 11 countries, and this will be our 159th event in Melbourne! :) Please be sure to ARRIVE ON TIME since everyone will be divided into tables of 6 people at the start time. Also, please remember to watch at least one of the Food For Thought videos before you arrive.
This event will provide the opportunity for a thoughtful, respectful and engaging discussion with Food For Thought videos, discussion facilitators at each table and discussion questions provided. So if you're looking for open-minded, friendly and intelligent people, then you've come to the right place!
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING DETAILS:

1. All members are asked to watch at least one of the Food For Thought Videos before arrival in the interest of stimulating their own thoughts and opinions on this subject.
2. Don't be afraid to sign up first for this event, since I will cancel the event if fewer than 5 people sign up (which has never happened in ~14 years). If the event is full, then please add yourself to the waiting list for the event.
3. You don't need a PayPal account to pay online - just look for the option to pay with a credit card when you RSVP. Meaningful Discussions is operated under the Meaningful Events Association, which is a not-for-profit society registered in BC, Canada. RSVP fee is a nominal fee to ensure high attendance and as such non-refundable.
4. Your meal is not included in the price of this event, but you are encouraged to arrive hungry for us to keep up a good relationship with the venue that hosts our events.

For more information or to attend events online, please visit:
https://www.buddytree.org/
You are required to follow COVID guidelines, if any, at the venue.

​Transportation

• ​Train: Melbourne Central
• ​Tram: the ones that go around Queen VIC market
• ​Carpark: $10-$12 typically at 58 Franklin St, Melbourne VIC 3000. You have to check the signs at the venue. https://cbdpark.com/