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Existential Conversations on Today’s Burning Questions

Humanity, Consciousness, and Artificial Intelligence – What does it mean to be human in the age of machine intelligence?

In this series of in-depth conversations, we meet some of the most thought-provoking voices of our time. Guided by Christer Sturmark and Victoria Larm, the dialogues go beyond the surface, delving into the ideas, stories, and experiences that shape — and sometimes transform — our lives. With themes such as belief, science, meaning, and courage, we explore what truly carries us through the human experience.

In an era where artificial intelligence is advancing faster than most can comprehend, this conversation brings together futurist Anders Sandberg, AI expert Vilhelm Skoglund, and intellectual historian Karolina Enquist Kjellgren to discuss the promises, threats, and philosophical depths of technology.

Artificial intelligence is well on its way to radically transforming our world — for better and for worse. AI has already excelled at solving complex problems, especially in medicine, leading to a Nobel Prize in 2024. But AI also produces vast amounts of disinformation and fake news. How should we respond?

The rapid development of AI also raises profound existential questions: Will intelligent machines become thinking machines? Could we even create conscious machines? If so, could they become a threat to humanity? This leads us to the eternal question: What does it really mean to be human?

Welcome to a conversation about the consequences of the AI revolution for society, culture, and humanity — and the many ethical challenges that arise if machines begin to think for themselves. Under the guidance of Christer Sturmark and Victoria Larm, the dialogue revolves around humanity’s place in a world where the line between the organic and the artificial is increasingly hard to define.

Participants: • Anders Sandberg, former Senior Research Fellow at Nick Bostrom’s Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, now affiliated with the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm. • Karolina Enquist Kjellgren, author and Associate Professor of History of Ideas, specializing in the philosophy of physics and interdisciplinary intellectual traditions. • Vilhelm Skoglund, founder of the Astralis Foundation, which works for the safe development of artificial intelligence. He is also a partner at Halcyon Ventures, specializing in AI Assurance Technology.

Victoria Larm has a background in art history and is the author of historical thrillers The Ninth Circle, The Disguised God, and The Dying Slave (Norstedts). Christer Sturmark is CEO of Fri Tanke publishing, public intellectual, author, and editor-in-chief of Sans magazine. His most recent book is The Art of Thinking Clearly (Fri Tanke).