"A provocative exploration of how humans are wired to seek short-term success at the expense of long-term survival - an evolutionary 'glitch' that explains everything from toxic workplaces to climate change."

That is a description given to the book written by the speaker in this webinar, Kristian Rönn. His book is titled "The Darwinian Trap: The Hidden Evolutionary Forces That Explain Our World (and Threaten Our Future)".

In this book, Rönn highlights how today's biggest challenges - fake news, climate change, artificial intelligence, even terrible bosses - are less the work of "bad people" doing "bad things" than the product of fundamental evolutionary forces. These forces compel us to act - but often in short-sighted ways that disadvantage others and imperil our own future prosperity.

Rönn calls these deeply rooted impulses "Darwinian demons." Left unchecked, their consequences will grow in magnitude as the power of technology accelerates. In short, evolution has set a trap for us. How can we avoid it?

Rönn argues that we must learn to cooperate in new ways if we are to surmount these Darwinian optimization traps, whether in the workplace or to solve our biggest existential threats. Evolution may be to blame for the trap - but humans need not fall for it. Our salvation, he writes, will involve the creation of new systems that understand, track, and manage what humankind values most.

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In this London Futurists webinar, recorded on 15th February 2025, Kristian Rönn reviewed some of the key themes from his book and ongoing research, and responded to questions and comments from the audience.

Kristian is is the CEO and co-founder of Normative, and, more recently, Lucid Computing. He has a background in mathematics, philosophy, computer science and artificial intelligence. He previously worked at the University of Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute on issues related to global catastrophic risks.

The webinar also featured comments from Daniel Faggella, CEO and Founder of Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research.

The webinar was introduced and moderated by David Wood, Chair of London Futurists.

For more details about this webinar, see https://www.meetup.com/london-futurists/events/305593904/.

The webinar is the first in what is expected to be an ongoing series of London Futurists events on the theme "addressing root causes".