BII Symposium 2025 — Reckoning with AI Agents

A growing number of researchers have identified AI agents — AI systems with the capacity to execute complex, multistep workflows without human intervention — as a significant innovation. Various technology companies are developing such agents, and some early versions have already been launched, including OpenAI’s Operator, an AI agent capable of autonomously performing tasks like online purchases and social media updates. Similarly, Anthropic’s Claude model can (in theory) control users’ computers to automate repetitive tasks.

The emergence of more cost-effective AI models, which offer greater capabilities at a fraction of previous costs, is leading to a flurry of research labs and companies developing similar systems — with the aim of integrating them into our private and public lives, into the workplace, and other infrastructures, including public services. These developments are still at an early stage, but the pace is increasing. We have a responsibility to proactively understand and address the societal and ethical implications of these systems.

To investigate recent developments and to gauge the opinions of experts and academics, we are hosting a research symposium at Balliol College in Trinity Term 2025 (Saturday, 24th May 2025).

Bringing together a diverse group of speakers, researchers, and students, the symposium will place the latest developments around AI agents in a broader societal context and evaluate their implications for our social and academic lives, the world of work, and democracy.

The event is a collaboration between Dr Linda Eggert (Faculty of Philosophy & Institute for Ethics in AI) and Dr Felix M. Simon (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and Oxford Internet Institute) and is generously supported by the Balliol Interdisciplinary Institute.

Event Information

The event takes place on Saturday, 24th May 2025 at Balliol College, starting at 12.15pm and ending at 5pm.

Spaces are very limited and we cannot guarantee that you will receive a spot. To register your interest, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/PpA86ZW1LQ. We will notify those successful by the end of day on Wednesday, 21st May 2025.

Please only sign-up if you are confident that you can attend. (We reserve the right not to invite unexplained “no shows” to future events.)

The symposium takes place under the Chatham House Rule. We will publish a short report, summarising the findings, in the weeks following the event.

Timeline

Welcome Remarks (12.30–1pm)

What are AI Agents? (1pm-2pm)

The first panel will focus on AI agents in general and set the scene for the rest of the day. We will explore how AI agents work, how they are currently used and how they might be used in the future, who develops them and for what purposes, how far along we are on the transition from current AI systems to more autonomous agents.

Speakers:

• Prof Rahul Santhanam, Professor of Computer Science at Oxford University and a Tutorial Fellow at Magdalen College
• Jonathan Rystrøm, DPhil student in Social Data Science at the OII. His research focuses on socio-technical evaluations of multimodal human-AI interactions

First Coffee Break (2pm-2.30pm)

AI Agents and the World of Work (2.30pm-3.30pm)

The second panel will focus on AI agents’ impact on work: where and how they might aid and augment work in various industries and sectors, including in academia, banking, and medicine. The panel will also address potential resulting risks to human livelihoods, autonomy, and dignity.

Speakers:

• Gill Whitehead, Executive Director at NatWest Group plc, Informa plc, the British Olympic Association, and Chair of the next Women’s Rugby World Cup (England 2025). Visiting Policy Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute. Former Group Director, Online Safety, at Ofcom
• Dr Adam Mahdi, Group Lead, Reasoning with Machines AI Lab (RML) and Departmental Lecturer, Oxford Internet Institute. Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Second Coffee Break (3.30pm-4pm)

AI Agents, the Information Ecosystem, and the Future of Democracy (4pm-5pm)

The third, and final panel, will consider the role of AI agents in information ecosystems and their impact on democracy: How might AI agents affect information consumption, including news, and general informedness? How real and serious is the risk of people being misinformed? In what ways might they be used to promote democratic values, such as free speech, inclusion, equality, pluralism, and diversity?

Speakers:

• Professor Scott Hale, Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Fellow of the Alan Turing Institute
• Chris Moran, Head of Editorial Innovation and the Editorial lead on generative AI at The Guardian
• Professor Zeynep Pamuk, Associate Professor of Contemporary Political Theory and Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College, University of Oxford