2023 - Debating at the Cambridge Union

In October of 2023, I auditioned to be a speaker in the Cambridge Union, one of the oldest debating chambers still existent in the world today. Out of a competitive process, I was chosen to represent Cambridge! The motion before the house was ‘This House Believes AI Is An Existential Threat’ and I was on the opposition. On my side was academic in AI Professor Judy Wajcman and director of AI at Palantir Dr Indra Joshi. In proposition was the CEO of Conjecture Connor Leahy, CEO of Aligned AI Rebecca Gorman and an academic in Ethics/Technology Professor Joanna Bryson. The format of the debate forced me to take a position, which I quickly discovered was a real-life experiment in communicating with a wider audience and telling a story with the bias built-in from my delegated side of the debate.