Our director Matthias Pfeffer tackled this question in his lecture “AI and Human Reason – A Call to Action”, delivered at the Evangelische Akademie Tutzing. His full speech is now available as a blog post.

At the core of his argument lies a troubling paradox: AI pioneers like Geoffrey Hinton and Demis Hassabis warn about the existential risks of AI – yet they are the ones driving its advancement. Are we heading toward a future where AI surpasses human intelligence? And if so, who will remain in control?

Matthias argues that AI is ultimately a black box – not only opaque but beyond human comprehension. If we don’t even understand how it reaches conclusions, how can we ensure it serves us rather than the other way around?

His speech challenges us to rethink our blind faith in technological progress. If we fail to actively shape AI development, we may find ourselves ruled not by democratic institutions, but by autonomous, ungovernable algorithms.