Academy of Ideas

Big data knows where you’ve been and who your friends are. It knows what you like and what makes you angry. It can predict what you’ll buy, where you’ll be the victim of crime and when you’ll have a heart attack. Big data knows you better than you know yourself, or so it claims. But how well do you know big data? What is data? What makes it big? And is it only size that matters? From science to smart cities, business to politics, self-quantification to the Internet of Things, big data has been described as the fuel of the next industrial revolution, and as a modern oracle. It’s winning elections, revolutionising scientific research, and transforming how businesses interact with their customers. And it’s just getting started. Now is the time to decide how we want to use the power of big data. We already benefit from aggregating small improvements, saving time, money and energy through more efficient use of what we have. But we could be more ambitious, and aim to do more with more instead of the same with less. Big data could think bigger. In other ways, though, it’s already too big for its boots: however big the dataset, however powerful the analysis, big data has blind spots. It may be great for population-wide patterns, but it’s not so good at why an individual person might choose to do one thing or another. This raises the question: why are we so keen to put our faith in big data? Does that say less about what the technology can really achieve than about our lack of trust in one another, or in ourselves? Timandra Harkness journalist, writer & broadcaster; presenter, Futureproofing and other BBC Radio 4 programmes; author, Big Data: does size matter? Zulfikar Abbany senior science and technology journalist, Deutsche Welle Will Moy director, Full Fact Dr Alex Powlesland principal scientist, Immunocore Ltd

Max Sanderson talks to London's former deputy mayor for education and culture. In a new series of podcasts ahead of the forthcoming Battle of Ideas festival, journalist Max Sanderson profiles some of the Battle’s most interesting speakers and their ideas. In the final episode of Battle Cry, Max speaks to Munira Mirza, an arts and philanthropy adviser and London’s former deputy mayor for education and culture, about how London can maintain its vibrant arts and cultural life. Munira will be speaking at sessions on Britain after Brexit and the future of London at this weekend’s Battle of Ideas.

Podcast: Rob Lyons speaks to sociologist Jennie Bristow. In this edition of the Podcast of Ideas, Rob Lyons talks to Dr Jennie Bristow from Canterbury Christ Church University, author of Baby Boomers and Generational Conflict, about whether the young should be angry at older generations for profligacy and selfishness, or if the blame game is just a displacement exercise preventing millennials from tackling the problems they face. Jennie will be speaking on three panels at the weekend’s Battle of Ideas on generational inequality, the future of education, and dating apps. Find out more here.

Battle Cry - Anders Sandberg on ethical AI Max Sanderson profiles Anders Sandberg from the Future of Humanity Institute In a new series of podcasts ahead of the forthcoming Battle of Ideas festival, journalist Max Sanderson profiles some of the Battle’s most interesting speakers and their ideas. In this the third episode of Battle Cry, Max speaks to Anders Sandberg from the Future of Humanity Institute about the future of AI and robotics and whether machines can ever become true moral agents. Anders will speaking at session Why, robot? Can we teach AI to be ethical? at the Battle. The Battle of Ideas festival will be held on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October. Get your tickets here.

Max Sanderson profiles Ian Dunt, editor of Politics.co.uk In a new series of podcasts ahead of the forthcoming Battle of Ideas festival, journalist Max Sanderson profiles some of the Battle’s most interesting speakers and their ideas. In this the second episode of Battle Cry, Max speaks to journalist Ian Dunt about the why the term ‘populism’ is now being bandied about so often in both Europe and America, and whether the term is even useful for understanding contemporary politics. Ian will speaking at sessions on populism and the busybody state at the Battle. Find out more here. The Battle of Ideas festival will be held on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October. Get your tickets here.

Max Sanderson profiles writer, broadcaster and comedian Timandra Harkness In a new series of podcasts ahead of the forthcoming Battle of Ideas festival, journalist Max Sanderson profiles some of the Battle’s most interesting speakers and their ideas. In the first episode of Battle Cry, Max speaks to writer, broadcaster and comedian Timandra Harkness about her book, Big Data: Does Size Matter?, and whether the Big Data revolution is something to be embraced, feared or perhaps a bit of both.  Timandra will speaking at sessions on big data, blockchain, comedy and censorship, and ethical AI at the Battle. Find out more here. The Battle of Ideas festival will be held on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October. Get your tickets here. To keep up with the Institute’s podcasts subscribe here.

Recorded at the Battle of ideas 2015.

Rob Lyons speaks to Dr Guy Smith from the National Farmers Union The Brexit vote throws the future of British farming and indeed how to produce enough food to feed Britain into question. The EU was always notorious for its apparently huge subsidies to farmers, while other struggling sectors of the economy – as illustrated by the threatened closure of Port Talbot steel works – have been refused such support. Now, however, farmers may be hit with heavy tariffs on cereals and dairy products. For some of those who wanted to remain, the silver lining of leaving the EU is the opportunity to shake up farming policy, ditching the generous subsidies farmers receive. Is this the start of another battle between rural folk and townies, or a valuable opportunity to rethink how Britain, which already relies heavily on imports, feeds itself? Ahead of October’s Battle of Ideas session, How will we feed Britain after Brexit?, Rob Lyons talks to Guy Smith, vice-president of the National Farmers Union, about the future of farming in the UK. You can find out more about this Battle of Ideas session here. To keep up with the Institute’s podcasts subscribe here.

Podcast: Invoke Democracy Now's Rob Killick speaks to Rob Lyons Since the vote to leave the European Union in June, the government has equivocated about when it will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, initiating the two-year process to exit the EU. Meanwhile, a host of individuals and organisations, from law firms and business tycoons to high-profile politicians and rock stars, are doing everything in their power to overturn the referendum result. In this week’s Podcast of Ideas, Rob Lyons talks to Rob Killick, a founder of Invoke Democracy Now, a group campaigning for Britain to leave the EU without delay, about the urgency of triggering Article 50 and how Brexit has reinvigorated the democratic spirit while giving an aloof political establishment the shock of a lifetime in the process. To keep up with the Institute’s podcasts subscribe here. To find out more about Invoke Democracy Now! follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Podcast of Rob Lyons' opening remarks from this week's Institute of Ideas Economy Forum The vote to leave the European Union has left the world’s economic experts, politicians and economic officials stunned. Voters were told that leaving the EU would hit the UK economy hard, with the only question being over what future arrangements might be made with the EU. If the UK negotiates membership of the European Economic Area, the so-called ‘Norway option’, then trade would be largely unaffected. But such a deal would almost certainly require the UK continuing to allow free movement of EU citizens into the UK, something that is currently regarded as politically contentious. The alternatives, from a Swiss-style bespoke arrangement to a situation with no deal at all, with trade governed by World Trade Organization rules, seem to offer a sliding scale from ‘very negative’ to ‘disastrous’. A minority, particularly the Economists for Brexit group, argue that leaving the EU will allow the UK to trade freely with the rest of the world and ditch pointless EU regulations, with the prospect of a revival in economic growth as a result. But when it comes to future prosperity, is there too much focus on the UK’s status within Europe? A week after the vote, the government reported another damning set of current account statistics, confirming how much more Britain imports than exports. The government finances still look weak and there is an ongoing and anguished debate about the poor productivity of the economy. George Osborne’s declared aim of ‘rebalancing’ the economy, both between North and South, and towards manufacturing, seem to have come to nought. And the economies of the Eurozone hardly seem in the best of health, either, with the only question seemingly where the next crisis will hit. Greece? Italy? Perhaps even France? So what does the future hold? What kind of deal should the UK aim to strike with the EU? While we fret about Europe, should we really be worrying about problems closer to home?