If you look back over a thousand years of human history, one undeniable truth emerges: progress is not inevitable but hinges on the choices society makes regarding technology.

In the Middle Ages, agricultural advancements enriched the nobility and the Church, which used the wealth generated to build themselves magnificent houses and cathedrals, while the peasants went hungry. The early years of England’s industrial revolution brought stagnant incomes for the working class. In recent decades technological advances have put untold amounts of wealth into the hands of the 0.1 per cent, while today, the sudden leap forward in artificial intelligence is threatening jobs and democracy through automation, data collection, and surveillance.

But does it have to be this way? MIT economist Daron Acemoglu has an alternative vision And on July 5 he comes to Intelligence Squared to set out his big idea: wrest control of AI from the hands of a few arrogant tech leaders and empower society instead. Is technology too important to leave to the billionaires? Can AI really be democratised? Join the discussion with Carl Miller on June 26, hear the arguments and decide for yourself.