"Don't focus on automation – focus on goal-directed adaptive behaviour."
A standout quote from Daniel Hulme (WPP), whose talk was packed with insight. He walked us through:
The 6 applications of AI
- Task automation
- Content Generation
- Human Representation
- Insight Extraction
- Complex Decisions
- Human Augmentation
The 5 levels of verification
- L1: dialogue-based to test for knowledge
- L2: dialogue and scenarios to test for skills
- L3: complex scenario to test for expertise
- L4: tests for intelligence/plasticity
- L5: tests for consciousness
The 6 AI singularities
- Political: When we no longer know what is true
- Environmental: When we create uncontrollable ecological collapse
- Social: When we cure death
- Technological: When we create a superintelligence
- Legal: When surveillance becomes ubiquitous
- Economic: When we automate the majority of paid labour
It was a masterclass in shifting the conversation away from AI as a productivity booster toward AI as an adaptive agent aligned with outcomes.
Oh, and his ideas on "curing death"? Let's just say the room was very engaged.

