Gemma Milne ~ Seeing Past the Tech Hype

‘ROBOTS WILL STEAL YOUR JOB!’

‘AI WILL REVOLUTIONISE FARMING!’

‘GENETIC EDITING WILL CURE CANCER!’

Are robots really going to steal all the jobs? Can AI actually cure cancer? What about lab-grown meat? Join Gemma Milne, science and technology journalist, researcher, and author, to explore how to navigate science and technology, sort the hype from the reality in our fake-news environment and critically think about the future.

Gemma will be interviewed by Chloe Smith

Photo credit: Francis Augusto

Gemma is the author of Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past it

‘Stop following the news until you’ve read Gemma Milne’s persuasive analysis of the hype and bullshit that distort our understanding of emerging science. As she shows, the starting point to grasping the genuine opportunities of AI, life sciences and climate tech is a healthy dose of critical thinking’
David Rowan, founding editor of WIRED UK and author of Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds

‘Couldn’t be more timely. Fascinating and vitally important’
Jamie Bartlett, author of The People Vs Tech

‘A much-needed blast of fresh air! Gemma Milne expertly shows us how to separate the truth from the hype surrounding the emerging techs of today, and those of the near-tomorrow’
Lewis Dartnell, author of Origins: How the Earth Made Us

‘I loved this book! This is exactly the sort of sceptical, cut-through-the crap-but-still-excited-about-what’s-emerging book around tech innovation that’s sorely needed, yet is so hard to find . . . essential reading for anyone who’s serious about how real-world advances might be effectively harnessed to build a better future’
Dr Andrew Maynard, scientist and author of Films from the Future and Future Rising

‘[A] vital contribution in a world where technological progress promises so much, but too often disappoints. If, like me, you believe that advances in science and technology are our best hope for solving the grand challenges of our times, this book is the indispensable guide to avoiding the mirages and the charlatans along the way’
Matt Clifford, co-founder and CEO of Entrepreneur First

‘A refreshingly grown-up, clear-headed look at the interaction between science, technology and the media – readable without being dumbed down, acknowledging complexities without being heavy’
Tom Chivers, author of The AI Does Not Hate You

This session is presented in association with the Berwick Educational Association. More information is available here