BRIGHTHINK: In Conversation

BRIGHTHINK
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Live recordings from BRIGHTHINK, a Brighton-based events series for curious minds — featuring conversations with leading academics, journalists and authors on ideas that challenge assumptions and spark curiosity - covering a wide range of topics including science, philosophy, culture and politics. To attend a live recording in Brighton visit www.Brighthink.org or https://linktr.ee/brighthink.org to purchase tickets for future events

  1. OUR INCOMPLETE UNIVERSE: The Search for the Theory of Everything

    MAR 23

    OUR INCOMPLETE UNIVERSE: The Search for the Theory of Everything

    On the largest scales, gravity shapes galaxies and bends space-time. On the smallest, quantum mechanics governs a strange world of uncertainty and probability. Both frameworks are extraordinarily successful. There’s just one problem: they don’t work together. This tension sits at the heart of modern physics. When we try to describe extreme environments - black holes, the Big Bang - our best theories break down. So what’s missing? Is space-time truly fundamental, or something that emerges from deeper laws? Is our Universe the only one, or just one of many? In the search for a “Theory of Everything,” physicists are exploring bold ideas - from string theory to multiverses, even the possibility that reality itself may be more surprising than we imagine. Join Dr Katy Clough and Prof Toby Wiseman for a fascinating conversation at the frontier of physics, as they explore where our current theories succeed, where they fail, and what these cracks might reveal about the true nature of reality. Recorded live at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 23rd March, 2026. DR KATY CLOUGH Katy is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, and an STFC Ernest Rutherford Research Fellow
Lead for Research Innovation.
 Her research focusses on testing the limits of general relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics, in particular using the numerical simulations of the early Universe and the interaction of fundamental fields and particles with black holes. PROF TOBY WISEMAN Toby is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. His research focuses on fundamental aspects of gravity, black holes and quantum field theory. He is particularly interested in understanding space-time and gravitation at the smallest and largest scales, and also how string theory combines Einstein's theory of gravity with quantum mechanics. CHAIR Anish Ghoshal is a theoretical physicist at the University of Sussex, specialising in particle physics, cosmology and gravity. His research focuses on the origins of our universe related to questions about the dark matter, matter-antimatter asymmetry, and gravity.

    59 min
  2. THESE STRANGE NEW MINDS: How AI Learned to Talk and What it Means

    MAR 2

    THESE STRANGE NEW MINDS: How AI Learned to Talk and What it Means

    Stunning advances in digital technology have given us a new wave of disarmingly human-like AI systems. Chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini put the knowledge of all the world’s experts at our fingertips, and can generate meaningful sentences, equations and computer code. The march of this new technology is set to upturn our economies, challenge our democracies, and refashion society in unpredictable ways. We can expect these AI systems to soon be making autonomous decisions on the user’s behalf, with transformative impact on everything we do. It is vital we understand how they work. Can AI systems ‘think’, ‘know’ and ‘understand’? Whose interests do they ultimately represent? And when will they be able to move beyond words and take actions for themselves in the real world?Join neuroscientist and AI researcher Christopher Summerfield, as he discusses how these strange new minds work, with Prof. Ron Chrisley and grapples with the existential question of our age: can we look forward to a technological utopia, or are we in the process of writing ourselves out of history? Recorded Live at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 2nd March 2026. CHRISTOPHER SUMMERFIELD Chris is Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and an AI research scientist. His work focusses on the neural and computational mechanisms by which humans make decisions. RON CHRISLEY Ron is Professor of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at the School of Engineering and Informatics, Sussex University. His areas of research include metacognition in neural networks, social and ethical issues of AI and machine consciousness.

    58 min
  3. IN SEARCH OF NOW: The Science and Mystery of the Present Moment

    FEB 17

    IN SEARCH OF NOW: The Science and Mystery of the Present Moment

    What if the present moment – the ‘now’ we all inhabit – isn’t just a tick of the clock? We feel that the present is everything; all we can know. Yet physics finds no universal ’now’. Jo Marchant discusses her new book, In Search of Now, with Prof Robyn Waller and shows how we each carve out our lived experience – sensations and emotions, actions and decisions – through our interactions with the world. Far from being an illusion or a mere slice of time, she argues that this evolving, interconnected tapestry is the source of our lives and selves, and perhaps even reality itself. Jo explores the secrets of how our lives really unfold and draws on state-of-the-art discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, cosmology and quantum physics, to reveal a dynamic, creative process in which we all play a part. Recorded live at the Nightingale Room, Brighton, 17th February 2026. JO MARCHANT Jo is an award-winning science journalist and author. She has a PhD in genetics and medical microbiology – and has previously worked as a senior editor at New Scientist and at Nature. Her articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Guardian and Smithsonian magazine. ROBYN WALLER Robyn is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sussex, affiliated with the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science and Sussex AI. She is also a member of the Council for the Royal Institute of Philosophy and works primarily in philosophy of cognitive science and metaphysics.

    54 min
  4. BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Understanding AI's Power to Shape Our Economy, Culture & Future

    FEB 11

    BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Understanding AI's Power to Shape Our Economy, Culture & Future

    AI systems now write code, generate images, produce news content, and increasingly make decisions that affect everyday life—from what we see online to how businesses operate and resources are allocated. What once felt experimental is now embedded in the tools, platforms, and institutions many of us rely on, often in ways that are invisible but deeply influential. This rapid integration has been matched by an intense media narrative: AI as breakthrough, AI as threat, AI as inevitable force reshaping work, creativity, and society itself. Headlines promise transformation or warn of disruption, yet the reality is more complex than either story suggests. Understanding where the technology truly is—and what its impacts actually look like—requires stepping beyond the hype. Recorded live at the Nightingale Room, Brighton, 10th February 2026. PROF RON CHRISLEY Ron is Professor of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at the School of Engineering and Informatics, Sussex University. His areas of research include: metacognition in neural networks, social and ethical issues of AI, social robotics, machine consciousness, quantum machine learning and applied logic. DR MARK KENNEDY Mark is Director of the Data Science Institute at Imperial College London, teaching across Ph.D., Masters, and Executive programmes. His research examines how AI and other technologies diffuse through organisations and society, shaping work, innovation, and social practices, and he develops methods like text and network analysis to study these processes. OLI SHARPE Oli is the creator and host of Go Meta, a YouTube channel and blog focused on exploring the "metacrisis"—complex, interconnected global issues—through a lens of philosophy, rationality, and the societal impact of AI (Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmgV-gku1RPUUt9lEtkJmg)

    48 min
  5. CRICK: A Mind In Motion

    JAN 27

    CRICK: A Mind In Motion

    John Keats once accused scientists of merely wanting to “unweave a rainbow,” but it was an irrepressible, romantic urge to wonder that defined Francis Crick, as much as a desire to find the basis of life in DNA and the workings of our minds. Crick was never shy about big questions. After helping reveal the structure of DNA, he turned his attention to some of the most challenging problems in biology and neuroscience, from the genetic code to the nature of consciousness. His curiosity, confidence, and occasional contrarian streak made him one of the most distinctive scientists of the 20th century.
 Matthew Cobb discusses his new book, Crick: A Mind In Motion - which presents a full ‘warts and all’ portrait of the scientist and the man - with Anil Seth. Recorded live at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 26th January, 2026. AUTHOR BIO Matthew Cobb is a professor emeritus at the University of Manchester and earned his PhD in psychology & genetics from the University of Sheffield. He has presented many TV programmes on genetic engineering and CRISPR gene editing. Matthew is also the author of many books, including: As Gods: A Moral History of the Genetic Age, The Idea of the Brain, and Life’s Greatest Secret.  CHAIR BIO Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and Director of the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science. He is also Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Program on Brain, Mind, & Consciousness. He is the author of 'Being You: A New Science of Consciousness' which was awarded Best Science Book of 2021 by The Guardian and the Financial Times.

    1h 6m
  6. LOST BOYS: A Personal Journey through the Manosphere

    09/09/2025

    LOST BOYS: A Personal Journey through the Manosphere

    Rarely has there seemed a more confusing time to be a man. This uncertainty has spawned an array of bizarre and harmful underground subcultures, collectively known as the ‘manosphere’, as men search for new forms of belonging. Acclaimed journalist James Bloodworth delves into these worlds and asks: what does their emergence say about Western society? Why are so many men susceptible to the sinister beliefs these groups promote? And what can we do about their pernicious encroachment upon our social and political spheres? Along the way, he enlists in a bootcamp for ‘alpha males’, dissects cultural figures including Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, and accompanies modern day Hugh Hefners as they broadcast their jet-set lifestyles to millions of followers. James Bloodworth was in Conversation with Prof. Richard de Visser. Recorded live at the Nightingale Room, Brighton, 9th Sept 2025. AUTHOR BIO James Bloodworth is a journalist and the author of The Myth of Meritocracy, Hired, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2019, and Lost Boys. His writing has appeared in the Times, the Guardian, and Prospect. He has produced and presented documentaries for Channel 4 and much of his work concerns the struggles of working class people. CHAIR BIO Richard De Visser is Professor of Psychology at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and has been working in health psychology and public health for 30 years. His research interests span a broad range of topics: sexuality & relationships; alcohol use; and cross-cultural analyses. He has also conducted many studies of gendered identity, and its intersections with sexuality.

    53 min
  7. THE GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Breakers

    09/03/2025

    THE GENIUS MYTH: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Breakers

    The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate.Helen Lewis discusses her new book, The Genius Myth, with Rafael Behr and unravels a word that we all use - without really questioning what it means. And she asks if the modern idea of genius - a class of special people - is distorting our view of the world. Recorded live at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 3rd September 2025. HELEN LEWIS Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic who writes about politics and culture. Her first book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times book of the year. She is the writer and presenter of the BBC podcast series The New Gurus and Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, and co-host of Strong Message Here, with Armando Iannucci. RAFAEL BEHR Rafael Behr is a political columnist for the Guardian. He is a former Political Editor for the New Statesman, Chief Leader Writer and Online Editor for The Observer, a business news reporter for BBC online and a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, based in the Baltic region and Russia.

    1 hr
  8. THE ATOMIC HUMAN: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI

    07/23/2025

    THE ATOMIC HUMAN: Understanding Ourselves in the Age of AI

    A vital perspective is missing from the discussions we're having about Artificial Intelligence: What does it mean for our identity? Our fascination with AI stems from the perceived uniqueness of human intelligence. We believe it's what differentiates us. Fears of AI not only concern how it invades our digital lives, but also the implied threat of an intelligence that displaces us from our position at the centre of the world. Neil D. Lawrence discusses his latest book, The Atomic Human, with Professor Ron Chrisley, contrasting our own intelligence with the capabilities of machine intelligence and revealing the technical origins, capabilities and limitations of AI systems, and how they should be wielded. Not just by the experts, but ordinary people. Either AI is a tool for us, or we become a tool of AI. Understanding this will enable us to choose the future we want. Recorded live at The Nightingale Room, Brighton, 23rd July 2025. NEIL D. LAWRENCE Neil is the inaugural DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, senior AI fellow at the Alan Turing Institute and visiting professor at the University of Sheffield. His technical expertise is in uncertainty and machine learning methods, in particular its use as the principal technology underpinning modern artificial intelligence. RON CHRISLEY Ron is Professor of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence at the School of Engineering and Informatics, Sussex University. His areas of research include: metacognition in neural networks, social and ethical issues of AI, social robotics, machine consciousness, quantum machine learning and applied logic.

    53 min
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Live recordings from BRIGHTHINK, a Brighton-based events series for curious minds — featuring conversations with leading academics, journalists and authors on ideas that challenge assumptions and spark curiosity - covering a wide range of topics including science, philosophy, culture and politics. To attend a live recording in Brighton visit www.Brighthink.org or https://linktr.ee/brighthink.org to purchase tickets for future events

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