A Sion College Seminar Supper with Sarah O’Connor

We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work

Wednesday 20th January, 2027

7 pm for 7.30 pm (doors open at 7 pm)

Le Café du Marché, 22 Charterhouse Sq, London EC1M 6DX

Few issues are attracting more attention in business, politics and public life than the rapid advance of artificial intelligence. As governments, employers and workers grapple with what these technologies might mean for jobs, productivity and human flourishing, Sarah O'Connor offers a much-needed perspective on a debate that often feels unprecedented.

In this seminar supper, Sarah will explore one of the defining questions of our age: what happens to human work in an era of artificial intelligence and automation? Combining historical insight with experience of on-the-ground reporting, she will examine the changing relationship between people, technology and productivity, arguing that many of today's debates about AI are rooted in much older struggles over dignity, welfare and control in the workplace.

Sarah is an award-winning journalist at the Financial Times, where she writes on work, employment and economic policy. Over nearly two decades of reporting she has developed a reputation as one of Britain's most perceptive commentators on the changing nature of work and the lives of working people. Her first book, We Are Not Machines, has been widely praised for its exploration of the opportunities and challenges presented by AI and automation.

If you have not yet registered for online payment you will be asked to do this and your registration will need to be validated by the Administrator before you can use the facility. You will only need to register once, and for any applications for subsequent events you will need only to log in. Payment is taken by PayPal, but you do not need a PayPal account. 

Please note

• Successful applicants will be sent further information by Wednesday 6th January, 2027
• Cancellations after Tuesday 12th January will not be refunded
• Attendees will be expected to honour any food choices submitted in advance
• It is Sion College policy that no events are recorded

Sion College events are often over-subscribed and each place is generously subsidised. If you are offered a place but are unable to attend for any reason, please let the office know so that your place may be offered to another. In the event of failure to attend without notice after being reserved a place, the Court will require a refund of the subsidy. Application for a place at any Sion event constitutes acceptance of this proviso.

Event Details