The Inklings and the AI Era | My recent visit to Cambridge & Oxford

As a child, I loved reading about the worlds created by C.S. Lewis, later in my twenties I discovered the epic fantasy writing of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling. These books fired my creative imagination, kept the child in me alive, and spoke to the deeper longings for a meaningful, purposeful life.

I am not alone. Over a billion children and adults have read their books and billions more have watched movies inspired by their stories.

In my work on AI and the flourishing of youth as part of the HumanConnections.AI project, it seems fitting that last week I visited the places in Cambridge and Oxford where these writers taught, lived, or were inspired to design the imaginary worlds that deeply resonated to both children and adults alike.

These stories about mythical creatures speak to the non-rational parts of us that can be a deep source for wisdom: our imaginations and our intuitions. In the age of AI and robotics, these elements could also be some of the most unique parts of about being human. I've written more about the role of wonder in the future of work here: https://www.ronivey.com/blog/the-future-of-work-is-a-future-of-wonder.

At Kings College, University of Cambridge, I had a chance to meet with our partners Professor Stephen Case and Professor Henry Shevlin at the LeverHulme Center for the Future of Intelligence. Their team of 50 AI and social impact researchers are doing bleeding edge research on AI capabilities and their impact on humanity. We are excited to partner with LeverHulme in hosting an upcoming workshop on October 14th at Cambridge on AI and youth well-being.

To learn more about the event, click here to visit our Institute page.