On Friday 18th March, the Lovelace Society (our Sixth Form Computing Society) invited students from Bedford School and Bedford Modern School for an engaging debate about Technology and AI.

Grace Maguire (Lower Sixth) reflected on the fascinating debate.

“The Lovelace Society debate was one of the most interesting and enjoyable events I’ve ever been to. The format was simple, similar to Question Time but with greater involvement of the audience. We were given statements and questions to talk about, however the openness of the ‘prompts’ meant the debate could go anywhere. What was really great was the attendance of not only BGS students, but also Bedford School and Bedford Modern School students, which allowed for a greater mix of opinions.

“What was really amazing was how the students involved didn’t ever settle for a simple ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’, but actually engaged with the topics and created conclusions that were neither right nor wrong, but simply an opinion. The debate titled “Robots would make better lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc.” was particularly engaging, as every student in the room had had an experience learning online, and being taught by an actual human, which made for some interesting, and at times comical, opinions. While some argued robots would save more lives if they were to replace doctors, due to their precision, and others argued they would lack the human connection to console a family. The debates usually ended with a consensus, in this case that robots should aid or help workers in order to get the best of both.

“All in all, the debate was an enjoyable experience, and I really can’t wait for the next! “