Brighton Evolve

Yes, there was the usual talk of AI’s potential. But unlike other events I’ve been to, this one had more soul. The crowd, equal parts curious, cautious and creative, seemed less interested in shiny demos, and more focused on what it all means for actual people.

They weren’t just buying the hype. They were picking at it and questioning it. Many admitted they didn’t quite know where they stood. Which, frankly, is probably the most honest stance anyone can take right now.

The talks were good. But the real action was in the gaps. In the muttered side comments, the half-finished sentences over (local) coffee. The general vibe was that we’ve hit that familiar Gartner Hype Cycle moment. The one after the breathless excitement, when the fog lifts and you realise: hang on, this thing won’t save us. It might just complicate everything.

So the real questions are starting.

Like: What do we do with all this “freed-up time” AI promises us? Will companies give that time back to people, or just fill it with more work? And what exactly is this precious “human creativity” we’re all banking on?

Here’s a few sound-bytes from our very own Paul Mallaghan around these very things.

Then there’s that line. “AI will never replace the human touch.” Sounds great. Also sounds like something people said about typewriters, email, and Excel. We like to think we’re irreplaceable. Sometimes we are. Often, we’re not.

I’m not saying AI will replace us. I’m saying the conversation deserves more than a comforting one-liner. And less defensiveness.
And then there’s Brighton. Roller skaters in arseless chaps on the seafront. Graffiti tucked into every alleyway. A place where eccentricity isn’t tolerated. It’s expected. Brighton doesn’t tidy itself up for anyone. That stubborn, expressive energy ran through the whole event. Not as an anti-AI stance, but as a pro-people one. A quiet protest in the best possible way.

It’s a city that insists on being human. Loudly. Messily. Unapologetically.

No big answers here. Just a strong sense that the next chapter of AI won’t be written by the loudest voices, but by the most curious ones.

And Brighton’s full of them.

Thanks to the team at Silicon Brighton for organising such a great event. It came at just the right time.