Humanists UK has announced that neuroscientist and bestselling author Professor Anil Seth will deliver the 2025 Voltaire Lecture on the topic of artificial intelligence and the science of consciousness. The lecture will take place on Friday 31 October at Conway Hall in London and will also be livestreamed to an audience across the country.
Early Bird tickets were made available to Humanists UK members and supporters on Friday, and sold out in hours.
In the 2025 Voltaire Lecture, Professor Seth will address one of science’s most persistent mysteries, setting out his pioneering approach to understanding consciousness not as a mystical or unexaminable phenomenon, but as a biological process rooted in the fundamental drive to stay alive. This scientific lens will then be turned to some of the most urgent questions of our time, exploring whether artificial intelligence could ever be truly conscious and the profound ethical implications that this would entail.
Professor Anil Seth is a neuroscientist, author, and public speaker who has pioneered research into the brain basis of consciousness for more than 20 years. He is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience and Director of the Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex. He is also Co-Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Program on Brain, Mind and Consciousness, a European Research Council Advanced Investigator, and former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Neuroscience of Consciousness.
He has published more than 200 research papers, is a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2019–2024), and in 2023 he received the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize. His 2017 TED talk has been viewed more than 15 million times, and his 2021 book Being You: A New Science of Consciousness was an instant Sunday Times Bestseller and a Book of the Year for the Economist, New Statesman, Bloomberg Business, the Guardian, Financial Times, and elsewhere.
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘Anil Seth is at the forefront of one of the most profound scientific and philosophical inquiries of our time – the nature of consciousness itself. As we perhaps stand on the precipice of creating ever more sophisticated artificial intelligence, his work challenges us to think deeply about what it means to be human, to be sentient, and these questions have never been more relevant. We are delighted to host him for the 2025 Voltaire Lecture for a rigorous, thoughtful, evidence-based exploration that is a hallmark of the humanist approach.’
The lecture and medal are named for the philosopher Voltaire. The inaugural lecture took place in 1968 and was delivered by Theodore Besterman, biographer of Voltaire, who went on to fund the lecture series in his legacy. Today, the president of Humanists UK chairs the lecture series.
The Voltaire Lecture 2025 will take place at Conway Hall, London, and online on Friday, 31 October, from 19:30–21:00.
Tickets are available to purchase at humanists.uk/voltaire2025.
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
The Voltaire Lecture explores ‘any aspect of scientific or philosophical thought or human activity as affected by or with particular reference to humanism’. The Voltaire medallist has made a significant contribution in one of these fields.
The Voltaire Lecture is part of the Humanists UK Annual Lecture series, which also includes The Darwin Day Lecture, The Rosalind Franklin Lecture, The Blackham Lecture, and The Holyoake Lecture.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 150,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.
What is consciousness? And could AI have it? | Professor Anil Seth | The Voltaire Lecture 2025 Hybrid
31 October 2025, 19:30
This event is now closed.