Change is inevitable. Autonomy is not.
Jack Clark. Co-founder of Anthropic
The annual Cosmos HAI Lab Lecture brings distinguished speakers on Human-Centered AI to the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Cosmos Institute and the Institute for Ethics in AI.
We are pleased to present the 2026 Cosmos Lecture, to be delivered by Anthropic co-founder, Jack Clark.
Jack’s lecture will be introduced by Philipp Koralus, the Director of the Human-Centered AI Lab (HAI Lab) in the Institute for Ethics at AI at the University of Oxford. The lecture will be followed by a fireside chat between Jack Clark and Brendan McCord, founder and Chair of the Cosmos Institute.
Abstract
AI has the potential to change societies and change how people think more than any technology ever created by people. The enormity of these changes and how to situate ourselves in reference to it often forces us to reach for visions of the future that range from the enchanting to the apocalyptic. But the greatest challenge in front of us will be to choose how to maintain and enhance our mental autonomy in an age of powerful synthetic intelligences. In this talk, I’ll discuss the changes to come in the years ahead from the development of more powerful systems and how we can prepare ourselves to maintain sovereignty as systems become more powerful.
Jack Clark is co-founder and Head of Public Benefit at Anthropic, an AI research company. Prior to Anthropic, Jack was the Policy Director of OpenAI. Before OpenAI, Jack was a technical journalist who wrote in detail about supercomputers, neural networks, and advanced technology, working for publications ranging from The Register to BusinessWeek. Along with his work at Anthropic, Jack writes Import AI, a popular AI newsletter read by more than 100,000 people every week.
Philipp Koralus is the inaugural McCord Professor of Philosophy and AI and founding Director of the Human-Centered AI Lab (HAI Lab) in the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Reason and Inquiry (OUP 2023). His research interests focus on bringing philosophy into tech, specifically around the concepts of reason and agency, and bringing AI into the service of human flourishing. He has taught at Oxford for 13 years and is a Fellow by Special Election at St. Catherine’s College.
Brendan McCord is founder of Cosmos Institute, a nonprofit that trains philosopher-builders for the AI age. Previously, he founded two AI startups ($400M combined exits), built the first applied AI organization for the U.S. Department of Defense and spent 610 days underwater as a submarine officer. He co-delivers the annual Philosophy, AI, and Innovation seminar at Oxford and writes widely on AI, human autonomy and education. He lives in Austin with his wife and two children.