The bi-annual Blackheath High Women in Leadership event is designed to engage with the most pressing contemporary issues, at the same time as connecting students with experts in their respective fields. In March this year, we were delighted to welcome ten speakers into school for an interactive conference focused on gaming and artificial intelligence – vital topics, particularly for students preparing to enter the workforce. Students from Years 10-13 heard from keynote speakers and took part in breakout sessions to learn about the gaming industry and understand how AI might impact their career journeys.  Key questions posed by the speakers:   

• How do we define AI?  

• What do we want to build?  

• What world do we want to live in?  

Understanding AI is crucial for all of us. As it increasingly becomes part of our daily lives, it is essential for students to be informed about AI’s capabilities, limitations, and ethical considerations so they can navigate the modern world effectively. In addition, evidence suggests that learning about AI can foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The event also threw a spotlight on gaming, one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide and offering considerable opportunities across many disciplines. Students benefitted hugely from the opportunity to learn about, explore and discuss the current landscape, predicted trends and ethical issues.  

The conference featured experts from both the gaming and artificial intelligence spheres. We were joined by professionals from Square Enix and Sony as well as specialists in trend-predicting AI development, a data scientist AI engineer & clinical mental health researcher, an AI ethicist & game designer and a lecturer in AI ethics philosophy and science from the University of Cambridge, as well as an alumna! It was a truly informative, engaging and moving event. 

A huge thank-you to our guests for speaking so candidly and engagingly. One Year 11 student said: ‘I loved all of it, but particularly the panel discussion in the afternoon with the speakers. I felt as though I was at a real conference and I liked the way the speakers didn’t talk down to us. They really treated us as equals’.