The Oxford Union

Trinity Term Special Debate: This House Believes That AI Can Attain Personhood | Saturday 13th June, 8:30pm

What does it mean to be a person? Since Descartes declared cogito ergo sum, thinkers have wrestled with the boundary between mind, consciousness and moral worth. Today, generative AI reopens that question with new urgency. These systems can produce poetry, reasoned argument and eerily human conversation, leading some to argue that personhood need not be uniquely biological. Others maintain that fluency is not consciousness, and that no artificial system, however convincing, can possess the inner life, subjective experience or moral agency that personhood demands.

Please note: Non-members are welcome to attend as a guest of a member for a guest fee of £12.50

John Waldron | Thursday 11th June, 3pm

John E. Waldron is president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs, where he plays a central role in overseeing the firm's global operations and strategy. A veteran investment banker, he has advised major corporations on mergers, acquisitions, and financing. Waldron is known for his leadership within one of the world's most influential financial institutions, helping guide its direction across investment banking, markets, and global client services.

Please note: Non-members are welcome to attend as a guest of a member for a guest fee of £12.50

Paul Graham | Wednesday 10th June, 5pm

Paul Graham is a programmer, writer, and investor best known as the co-founder of Y Combinator, which has backed thousands of startups including Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, and Reddit. Previously, he co-founded Viaweb, one of the first software-as-a-service companies, later acquired by Yahoo and rebranded as Yahoo Store. He is the author of influential essays and books such as Hackers & Painters, and his writing has shaped how founders around the world think about startups, innovation, and technology.

Please note: Non-members are welcome to attend as a guest of a member for a guest fee of £12.50

John Logan | Wednesday 10th June, 2pm

John Logan is one of the rare writers to have shaped both prestige theatre and modern blockbuster cinema at the highest level. A three-time Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner for Red, he has written films as varied as Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and Skyfall, moving with unusual ease between historical epic, psychological drama, and franchise storytelling.

Please note: Non-members are welcome to attend as a guest of a member for a guest fee of £12.50

Gypsy Rose Blanchard | Tuesday 9th June, 5pm

Gypsy Rose Blanchard became a public figure through one of the most troubling and morally complex abuse cases in recent American history. Since her release from prison in December 2023, she has re-entered public life through interviews, documentaries, and memoir, including The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, and My Time to Stand. What makes her story so compelling is not simply its notoriety, but the way her post-prison life has continued to raise difficult questions about trauma, agency, exploitation, and the uneasy relationship between justice and public fascination.

Please note: Non-members are welcome to attend as a guest of a member for a guest fee of £12.50

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