Night of Ideas
Institut francais

  • Opening

    17:45-18:00 - Ciné Lumière
    On the Eve of Brexit Day
    • Catherine Colonna, French Ambassador to the UK, will launch the Night of Ideas 2020.
    • Theodore Zeldin, Historian and Philosopher, will share his views on Europe.



  • A Brief Eternity

    19:10-19:40 - Les Salons
    Conversation
     
    Is it possible for us to change the way we think about living longer and what it implies?
    In 70 years, life expectancy has risen by 20 to 30 years. Thanks to advances in medical technology, we dream of immortality; yet growing old is still viewed as a catastrophe. A new scientific paradigm needs a new life philosophy.

     
    With

    • Pascal Bruckner, Philosopher and Novelist
    • André Spicer, Academic and Professor of Organisational Behaviour at the Cass Business School, City, University of London



    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

  • The Machine to Be Another

    19:10-21:30 - La Médiathèque
    VR
     
    Conceived by the interdisciplinary art group BeAnotherLab.org to offer users a multi-sensory experience of stepping into the shoes of another person, this interactive art installation combines Virtual Reality and cognitive science to create the illusion of being in the body of someone else. The experience lasts 15 minutes and allows two users to swap bodies in real time.


    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    …in the Machine
    When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

  • Our Digital Lives

    20:20-21:20 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    Does your social media know you better than you know yourself? The democratisation of social networks and big data leads to a confusion between private and public; between what we really want and what we are told to like. How does this affect our capacity to make choices, and the control we have over our own lives?

     
    With

    Chaired by Greg Williams, Editor-in-chief, WIRED



    You may also like
    Part of Before the Night

  • AI is Us

    20:20-21:20 - La Médiathèque
    Debate
     
    Artificial Intelligence is often considered as something outside of ourselves – but is it not rather a part of us? Recent developments lead us to wonder whether we will one day ditch our devices and connect our brains directly to a Cloud of knowledge and data. The boundaries between natural and artificial are blurred, as we wonder whether we’ll all soon become digital beings.

     
    With

    Chaired by Donna Lu, Technology Reporter, New Scientist



    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Living with Robots
    When Sci-Fi Becomes Real
    A Brief Eternity
    Part of Before the Night

  • …in the Machine

    20:20-21:20 - Ciné Lumière II
    Short Films
     
    Introduced by Beth Singler, Junior Research Fellow in AI, University of Cambridge, Documentary Filmmaker

    Exploring everything from robots feeling pain to being ethical ‘people’ and making friends, this series of short documentaries addresses the social, philosophical and religious implications of advances in Artificial Intelligence and robotics.


    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Living with Robots
    Part of Before the Night

  • Living with Robots

    21:30-22:30 - Ciné Lumière
    Debate
     
    Can we imagine a world in which humans and robots live side by side? In 2017, Sophia became the first robot to be given legal citizenship, raising moral questions about the future of human-robot relationships. Join experts to discuss the topic!

     
    With

    • Beth Singler, Junior Research Fellow in AI, University of Cambridge
    • Sangseok You, Assistant Professor in Information Systems, HEC

    Chaired by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC presenter



    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    …in the Machine
    AI is Us
    Part of Before the Night

  • When Sci-Fi Becomes Real

    21:30-22:30 - La Médiathèque
    Debate
     
    Do we already live in the world of the future? Is anticipation but a memory? The world that once only existed in the imagination of writers and directors now seems perilously real. Come and explore new ways of telling stories, and how science fiction is woven into the fabric of our lives.

     
    With

    Chaired by José Arroyo, Principal Teaching Fellow in Film Studies, University of Warwick



    You may also like
    Part of the Night of Ideas
    Living with Robots
    Part of Before the Night