Beyond the Matrix: The reality of AI risk

Mon Jun 08 2026 at 08:00 pm to 09:00 pm UTC+01:00

Room RCH/037 - Ron Cooke Hub | York

York Festival of Ideas
Publisher/HostYork Festival of Ideas
Beyond the Matrix: The reality of AI risk
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University of York experts explore if AI is a Hollywood threat or a trusted tool, and how chatbots have shifted the global conversation.
About this Event

The risks from highly advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) have increasingly been covered by the media. You might have seen The Matrix or 2001: Space Odyssey, listened to the ‘Godfathers’ of AI discuss catastrophic risks, or read papers and books discussing the risk of existential catastrophe by AI systems. But is AI a Hollywood-style threat or a tool we can trust?

With the improvement of chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, the debate over whether the control of advanced AI should be a research priority has moved from speculation or science fiction to a serious policy discussion.
The University of York’s AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Safe AI (SAINTS), based in the Institute for Safe Autonomy, is at the forefront of the mission to ensure the safety of AI. Join experts from ISA for a panel discussion as they explore the pressing issues. The focus will be on how the debate has changed over the last five years as general-purpose AI systems, such as chatbots, have improved.

Come along and discover whether catastrophic risks from AI systems should be an international research priority, which risks experts are most worried about (or not worried about), and the role of academia, policy and industry in mitigating potential risks from AI systems.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Room RCH/037 - Ron Cooke Hub, Campus East, York, United Kingdom

Tickets

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