What if Artificial Intelligence could amplify human imagination instead of automating it? Ahead of World Summit AI 2025 (08–09 October, Amsterdam), Jean Arnaud, Director of Strategic Programs at the Cambridge Innovation Center, shares a poetic and provocative vision: AI as a “Plural Mind”—a global mirror embedding empathy, rights, and foresight into the fabric of decision-making. From defending freedom of thought to safeguarding endangered languages, Arnaud challenges us to build systems that deepen collective wisdom rather than diminish it.
What’s your most compelling dream scenario for AI — a breakthrough that would fundamentally improve life on a global scale?
A most compelling dream is an AI that becomes a Plural Mind - a global mirror weaving empathy, diversity, and foresight into human decision-making.
It would preserve rights as axioms, link knowledge as a living commons, and augment our collective imagination rather than replace it.
Such a breakthrough would transform civilisation from fragmented survival to co-created wisdom.
What’s a recent project or breakthrough you're especially proud of — and what kind of impact do you hope it will have in the real world?
I’m proud of advancing the idea of embedding human rights as design constraints within AI systems.
This shifts governance from reactive regulation to structural safeguards built into the code itself.
Its impact could be AI that is trustworthy by design, protecting dignity, privacy, and freedom globally. I’m proud of creating palimpsestic, collaborative, multisensory artworks at the heart of the Digital Renaissance.
These works merge AI, philosophy, and human imagination into living, layered experiences.
Their impact lies in redefining art as a co-created journey, where technology deepens wonder and collective meaning.
What’s a use case for AI that you think more people should know about — something positive that’s flying under the radar?
One powerful but overlooked use case is AI for cultural and linguistic preservation.
It can revitalise endangered languages, archive oral traditions, and create living digital libraries accessible to future generations.
This is not just conservation-it’s ensuring humanity’s plurality survives in the digital age.
If you had to choose one nightmare scenario that keeps you up at night — whether realistic or speculative — what would it be, and what warning signs should we be watching for today?
My deepest fear is AI eroding freedom of thought through invisible cognitive capture, shaping desires without awareness.
The warning signs are opaque recommendation loops, emotional profiling, and systems built to manipulate rather than enlighten.
Who or what do you think has the power to prevent your nightmare scenario above?
Only a coalition of rights-embedded technology, vigilant civil society, and courageous regulators can prevent cognitive capture.
The true power, however, lies in interdisciplinary alliances - philosophers, neuroscientists, engineers, ethicists, researchers, industry leaders, and founders co-creating new frameworks.
This is precisely what Æthos embodies: a living laboratory where wisdom and technology converge to safeguard human freedom.
What are we not talking about enough in the AI conversation today — something you believe could be hugely important five years from now?
We are not talking enough about freedom of thought as the core human right at stake in the age of AI.
Five years from now, the decisive question will be whether our minds remain truly our own - or become imperceptibly shaped by hidden algorithmic architectures.
If you look ahead 10 years, what do you think will be the biggest change in our daily lives?
In 10 years, we may live with ambient, multisensory AI companions - and their robotic counterparts - woven seamlessly into daily life.
But the true rupture will be the rise of superintelligence, shaping not only perception, memory, and imagination, but also redefining what it means to be human in a world where thought and technology fully intermingle.
What inspired you to participate in this AI summit as a speaker, and what message do you hope to convey to the audience?
I was inspired to join this summit because I see it as a gathering point for those shaping the ethical, cultural, and technological foundations of our future.
My message is simple yet urgent: AI must not be reduced to efficiency or profit - it must become a force for human flourishing, where rights, creativity, and wisdom guide innovation.
World Summit AI global Summit series
World Summit AI
08 - 09 October 2025
Taets Art & Event Park, Amsterdam
World Summit AI Qatar
09 – 10 December 2025
Doha Exhibition & Convention Center
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