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What Should Humanity Want From AI? People, Technology, and the Future of Intelligence

Science &
Technology

With Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI; philosopher Alain de Botton; and award-winning author Naomi Alderman

The event marks the launch of The Humanist Review of AI, a new journal commissioned by Microsoft AI exploring the many ways AI is changing society.

For 300,000 years, human beings have applied knowledge and science to make their lives steadily better. In other words, they’ve been the creators and masters of technology. But is technology – in the form of artificial intelligence – about to reshape the world in ways that could render many people powerless or even redundant?

We must not let that happen, believes Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. Suleyman, one of the world’s leading AI experts and business leaders, has long argued that the central promise of AI is to advance human civilisation – and that when built with intention and humility, AI is not set against what makes us human but can deepen it.  

In July 2026 Suleyman joined us live at the Royal Geographical Society, where he shared the stage with philosopher Alain de Botton and award-winning author Naomi Alderman to discuss how AI can enrich human flourishing and connection rather than replace them. 

SPEAKERS

  • Mustafa Suleyman

    CEO of Microsoft AI

  • Alain de Botton

    Author and Co-founder of The School of Life

  • Naomi Alderman

    Award-winning novelist, broadcaster and TV producer

HOST

  • Gillian Tett

    Provost of Kings College, Cambridge and Financial Times columnist

Speakers

SPEAKERS

Mustafa Suleyman

CEO of Microsoft AI

Mustafa Suleyman is the CEO of Microsoft AI. His mission is to build state of the art AI models, and create humanist superintelligence for everyone. Before leading Microsoft AI he was CEO and cofounder of Inflection AI, and before that, he cofounded DeepMind where he led applied research and commercialization efforts. He is the author of bestselling book The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma. He is on the board of The Economist and a Senior Fellow at The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Alain de Botton

Author and Co-founder of The School of Life

Alain de Botton is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ He’s written about love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries. Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain’s latest book, published in September 2019, is a collection of essays written for The School of Life, titled The School of Life: An Emotional Education. Alain started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love, was published when he was twenty-three.

Naomi Alderman

Award-winning novelist, broadcaster and TV producer

Naomi Alderman is an award-winning novelist, broadcaster, TV producer and videogames creator. She is the author of the bestselling, multi-award-winning The Power, which became a TV series for Amazon Prime. Her latest novel The Strangers will be published in September 2026.
HOST

Gillian Tett

Provost of Kings College, Cambridge and Financial Times columnist

Provost of Kings College, Cambridge and Financial Times columnist. She is the author of many books including Fools Gold and the new book Anthro-Vision: A New Way to see Business and Life. Gillian holds a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge and has won numerous awards, including Columnist, Journalist and Business Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards. She has been elected the next Provost of King's College, Cambridge and will take office in October 2023.