Another new group, this time the “Consequences of AI”, launched on 14 October 2025 with some 50 members wanting to attend, and the room was filled to capacity. The session was run by the Kenton & District Chair, Dick Nathan, ably assisted by videos from two of the leaders in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

The mix of practical exercises set by Dick, explaining what exactly is in an Artificial Intelligence system, and the videos from two experts, seemed to go down well with the members.

The first speaker was Andrew Ng, who had given an excellent TED Talk back in 2023, asking was “AI a problem or a solution?” His clear analytical approach had resulted in a number of questions being answered, and the quality of his graphics was first class.

The second speaker was Professor Mirella Lapata from Edinburgh University whose Alan Turing Lecture at the Royal Institution in 2023 had taken her audience inside the workings a the ChatGPT engines, communicating clearly by using simple terms and accessible examples.

The session finished with a live example, using a stand-alone AI system on Dick’s laptop computer. He demonstrated how the system was not connected to the Internet, and yet was able to answer questions like “What is covered by the first amendment to the US Constitution?” and “Which town in Britain has the longest name?”

The next session will be on 11 November 2025, and will cover how the members should use an AI Engine whilst remaining safe and secure.