TEiP @ NEWSPEAK HOUSE • SPECIAL SERIES: LIVING WITH TECH • E1: THE WAY WE THINK

A special series of events to open different conversations about AI, tech, and their impact on our lives.

We’ll use the typical THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS (TEiP) method of getting into great conversations: small group discussions, tiny imaginary stories, lots of questions, and many opportunities to shuffle groups (more detail below).

The thought experiments for these events are written by special guest writer and TEiP regular, Francesca. She’s in the middle of a fellowship at Newspeak House (London College of Political Technology) and has her finger on the pulse of many issues related to technology and its impact on our lives.

As Francesca alludes to in one of her thought experiments: discussing concepts and ideas with other people (rather than asking ChatGPT) is like going to the gym for your mind. But as anyone who has been to a TEiP event will know, TEiP’s lighthearted and playful atmosphere means that it’s more like a fun zumba workout than crossfit or weightlifting.

(Substack about this collaboration coming out on Saturday. Sign up here if you'd like to receive it! 😊)

How we'll do it (timings approximate):

• 7:00pm - Arrive at Newspeak House. Nearest station Shoreditch High Street.
• Organise ourselves into small groups (3-4).
• Have a look at the thought experiments (announced on the day of the event)
• 7:15 - Introduction to the event
• 7:20 - First rotation begins - Talk about the first thought experiment, but feel free to veer off topic and pursue new avenues of conversation.
• 7:45 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the second thought experiment.
• 8:15 - Optional reshuffle: swap groups, move on to the third thought experiment.
• 8:45pm - Wrap up - votes to discern general views of the room; info about upcoming events; feedback/requests for future meetups.
• 9:00 Meetup ‘ends’. But feel free to carry on conversations. We have the room until 10 :-)

Notes on the general atmosphere:

• The vibe is to let conversation flow rather than stick strictly to one topic.
• While we'd like to talk about 'meaningful things', we also see the value in lighter topics, so don't worry about not being 'deep' enough!
• Feel free to suggest ideas for future THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS meetup groups, both in terms of structure and topics to discuss.

Where we'll meet:
This group will be at NEWSPEAK HOUSE. The nearest Overground Station is Shoreditch High Street. Nearby Tube stations: Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, Old Street, and Liverpool Street. You can access the venue step-free on the ground floor. Bathrooms are available at the venue.
Please note: There is no bar at the venue, but you are very welcome to bring your own drinks.

Who should come:
Everyone! We believe that the more perspectives, the richer the conversation. This group is not about being experts in Philosophy, it is about doing philosophy. That is, bringing our various life experiences and lenses on the world to group discussions about the human experience, the nature of reality... etc....

WHATSAPP GROUP - stay in the loop
INSTAGRAM - see what we look like (including The People of TEiP project)
SUBSTACK - sign up for the newsletter

If having different conversations about technology, AI and their impact on our lives sounds good, or intriguing, to you, please join us :-)