On Thursday 17th January, Ursuline Sixth Form hosted an inspiring Sixth Form Conference on Democracy and Truth in a World of AI and Social Media!
We welcomed students, and staff from six other schools (City of London Academy, Raynes Park High, Ricards Lodge, Rutlish, Wimbledon College, and Ursuline Academy Ilford).
The students listened first to a panel of speakers involved in Politics, including
- Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon – Conservative Peer
- Paul Kohler – New Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon
- Siobhain McDonagh – Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden
- Sheri-Ann Bhim – Our alumna and local Merton councillor.
Students and staff also enjoyed talks from different experts in AI and Social Media. Ben Shields, Founder & CEO of Know-Me.ai, spoke about his work in AI and how it is vital that ordinary people engage with it so that it is not used for the benefit of a minority (drawing links with the first Industrial Revolution). We were honoured to hear Paulette Watson MBE talk about her leading work in EDI and AI and her particular focus on women (particularly young black women) and creating space, and diversity in a white and male-dominated sphere. Jonathan Gifford from the Cabinet Office spoke of his work in countering Disinformation around the world, in particular, when it is used as a weapon in conflicts.
We finished with a debate on the motion “This House believes that social media and AI are a force for good for democracy” led by Tom Rattner and Daniel Brookes from the English-Speaking Union (ESU), which the students joined in with really well.
A huge thank you to Loredana Roberts for chairing the event and to TEAM Global for their generous support. The day was a thought-provoking exploration of democracy, truth, and the evolving role of AI and social media in shaping our world. Well done to all our student leaders for their professionalism in presenting at and leading the day.
