In a world racing to automate everything with AI, how do we protect the one thing that makes us truly human, our freedom to think?
Kicking off season eight of the Digitally Curious podcast, I sat down with leading human rights lawyer and author Dr Susie Alegre for a live debate from The Roof Gardens in London on one of the most urgent questions of our time.
❓How do we stay human in the age of AI?
Susie has spent decades defending human rights around the world and was one of the first to join the dots between Cambridge Analytica, behavioural micro‑targeting and our freedom to think.
In this episode, we explore why freedom of thought is a fundamental, but often overlooked, human right, and how today’s AI systems are increasingly designed to hack our attention, emotions and even our beliefs.
We also dive into:
1️⃣ The real cognitive impact of relying on generative AI for thinking and writing, including emerging evidence that overuse can reduce our ability to remember and reason for ourselves
2️⃣ Chilling legal cases where interactions with chatbots have contributed to severe mental health crises, and what upcoming lawsuits may mean for AI accountability
3️⃣ Why younger people might be more switched on about AI than many assume, and why older professionals could actually be at greater risk of uncritical trust in these tools
4️⃣ How AI is reshaping work, from the loss of entry‑level roles to the risk of “qualified on paper, unqualified in practice” professionals, and what a realistic reset might look like for careers and training
5️⃣ The coming backlash against AI‑generated “slop” content and why truly human creativity, art and writing may become more valuable, not less
We did not just focus on the risks. We looked at where AI can genuinely help.
From spotting tumours in healthcare to diagnosing infrastructure problems in the justice system, and why the real question should always be – what problem am I solving, and is AI the right tool for it?
If you are a leader, educator or simply curious about how to navigate AI without outsourcing your humanity, this conversation is for you.
🎧 Listen to S8E1. “How to stay human in the age of AI” with Dr Susie Alegre, now live on the Digitally Curious podcast via podc.st/s8e1 or search for “digitally curious” wherever you get your podcasts.
