AI Autonomy Risks

What happens when AI systems make decisions that humans can't easily understand, contest, or reverse? This circle brings together participants from across Los Angeles to work through one of the defining civic questions of this decade.

Artificial intelligence is moving faster than the public conversations around it. Systems are already making decisions about credit, employment, medical diagnoses, and criminal sentencing — and the degree to which humans can understand, question, or override those decisions is shrinking.

This isn't just a technology question. It's a civic one. Who decides how much autonomy AI systems should have? Who's accountable when they get it wrong? And what role should ordinary people — not just engineers and policymakers — have in shaping those answers?

What this circle will explore

We'll work through the core tensions in AI autonomy: the case for automated decision-making and its genuine benefits, the risks of systems that operate beyond meaningful human oversight, and the harder question of what accountability actually looks like in practice. There are no clean answers — which is exactly why this conversation is worth having in a structured room.

Format

This circle will meet in person in Los Angeles. The circle is kept small and curated for diversity of perspective. Before the session, accepted participants receive a short reading and a brief survey to help the facilitator frame the conversation.

Apply to join

Applications are open now. If this is the kind of conversation you've been looking for, we'd like to hear from you.

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