SDLP leader Claire Hanna has compared former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to the Stormont Executive, accusing both of having “no real sense of purpose” and saying it was difficult to understand what either administration was trying to achieve.

Speaking ahead of the SDLP’s party conference this weekend, Hanna delivered a striking assessment of the Westminster government, where her party has historically maintained close links with Labour while fiercely guarding its political independence.

While she described the arrival of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister as “refreshing”, she was careful to stress that the SDLP would not simply fall into line behind the new Labour administration.

“We have been all of our lives, and so are the Labour Party, a member of the Party of European Socialists. So we’re a sister party in that regard.

“We are very much our own people, our own politicians, and Colm [Eastwood] and I in Westminster, and all of us vote how we see fit, and the benefits for the people that we represent.

“We’ve never taken any other party’s whip, so just to be clear about that. But yeah, we do have, we do have common cause with people on the centre left, around the world.

“Clearly, and we weren’t shy about saying it, we voted against Keir Starmer’s government on many occasions; we, without fear or favour, address the policies.”

Claire Hanna then delivered one of the most pointed assessments of Starmer’s time in office, drawing a direct comparison between Westminster and Stormont.

“That was a disappointing government in terms of how it presented politics and how it got things done, and I actually see a lot of parallels between Starmer’s government and the Executive, there was just no real sense of purpose, you know, it’s hard to understand what they believed, what they were trying to achieve, because it wasn’t coming through in how they communicated and what they actually delivered.

“So look, Andy Burnham has been refreshing. I mean, just this week, we had quite a substantial, I mean, a genuinely substantial announcement on, for example, the approach to the catastrophic situation in Palestine in terms of settler terrorism in the West Bank, but that sort of step change hopefully is the shape of things to come.

“But we’re also very clear that no UK Prime Minister is going to do the things that need to be done here. That’s our job.

“We’re not waiting for him to do the work on a new Ireland, for example, which is why his clumsy remarks about it being off the table, and people kind of lost their minds about it here, as if they expected the Prime Minister from England to come over and tell us that he was gonna break up the union and don’t worry, it was all in hand.”

For Hanna, the question of a future united Ireland is therefore no longer something which can be treated as a distant constitutional possibility.

She believes the political parties and governments on both sides of the border need to begin doing the practical work of preparing for it now, regardless of when or whether a border poll is ultimately held.

Her comments came after Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he intended to raise the issue with the Prime Minister, including the criteria the Secretary of State could use when deciding whether a border poll should be held.

“I think the fact that Micheál Martin has said that is a really clear indication of the energy of this conversation and the trajectory, and we have worked very intensively with his party, with government parties, and opposition parties to just deepen their understanding that a new Ireland can’t just be a rhetorical thing.

“It has to be planned for and stepped through. So I think that was a very significant change in position from the Taoiseach, which hasn’t come out of nowhere, shall we say.

“I think it is appropriate to clarify [the criteria], and we will be doing some work in Westminster in the autumn and after that. I think all of us here in democratic Ireland, more broadly, should be shaping those criteria.

“Again, it’s another if it’s not, let’s hear what London thinks should be the criteria. We would want that to be widely consulted because there will be a panel of indicators.”

Hanna said the SDLP’s argument was not simply that a united Ireland should happen, but that the process leading towards constitutional change needed to be carefully planned and capable of taking account of people who do not currently support it.

She pointed to an SDLP event at the MAC in Belfast earlier this year and the party’s “Success by Design” document as examples of its attempt to move the debate away from slogans and towards detailed policy.

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“There are bigger questions around the how, the why, and when. The SDLP will be making this case between now and the next election. Who do you trust to be around those negotiating tables? Who do you trust to protect the interests of not just those who, like us, believe in this right now, but the people who are sceptical, the people who maybe it isn’t their first choice constitutionally?

“Who do you trust to do that work with both governments and get them into the right place, and who do you trust to get into the detail and not just kind of rally the base, and I think for a lot of people that will be the SDLP.

“I think it’s really important to get into the details of the planning. Our event in the MAC in June, which was a pretty significant all-party event, but not just talking about this is what I want, you know, sort of getting into the real texture detail.

“We made sure that every single panel of the five on that day had people who don’t come from a traditional Irish nationalist background or instinct. We want all different views.

“We made it clear, because we had senior UK politicians, politics is changing now, so, you know, there’s no point, even people who don’t want to talk about change here, and there are the parties of the status quo who don’t want to make change, it’s coming, so you can either shape it or, or be a passenger in it.”

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Zack Polanski has been selected as the Green Party’s candidate in the Holborn and St Pancras by election as he prepares to fight the crucial contest in the historically Labour seat.

The by election was triggered by the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer as an MP, after he was ousted by his party and replaced as prime minister by Andy Burnham.

Speaking as he was confirmed as the party’s candidate in the contest, which will take place next month, the Green Party leader said: “I am here to fight for you, because when I first moved to London 20 years ago, it was Camden I made my home, and I have lived and worked across Holborn and St Pancras for many of the years since.”

He declared the winner of a local party members’ vote after online hustings on Thursday night, after coming up against local councillor Hamza Chowdhury for the Green nomination.

Mr Chowdhury stated that Holborn and St Pancras does not need “another MP who arrives during an election campaign” and then “disappears once the votes are counted”.

The by-election will pose early test for Mr Burnham’s popularity with the public, with the Greens likely to pose the greatest threat to Labour in the contest.

Labour has held the Holborn and St Pancras seat continuously since it was created in 1983, but voters there have moved towards Green and independent candidates in recent years.

Only two Labour MPs have ever represented Holborn and St Pancras: former health secretary Frank Dobson, from 1983 to 2015, then Sir Keir.

But Green Party made gains in the May local elections in the London Borough of Camden, the local authority that covers the constituency.

The contest also poses a challenge for the Green Party leader himself as he takes on Labour’s Sagal Abdi-Wali, who has led Camden Council since May this year and been a councillor for Camden Square since 2022, at the October 8 contest.

Support for the Greens surged in his first year as leader but the party’s national polling has dipped since Mr Burnham replaced Sir Keir in Downing Street.

Mr Polanski, a London Assembly member, has previously said he was “excited” by the prospect of winning the seat and entering the Commons.

He dismissed suggestions from rival Mr Chowdhury that the constituency did not need “another MP who arrives during an election campaign” then “disappears once the votes are counted”.

“I think the local party already knows that doesn’t describe me at all. It’s a place that I know very, very well,” Mr Polanski said on Wednesday.

“I’m excited for this campaign because I think the Green Party and I have a real story to tell and I’m confident, but not complacent, I’ll be out there campaigning for every vote, that it’s a message that will resonate with people in Holborn and St Pancras.”

More follows on this story…

RNLI and Coastguard were called out to rescue the group, who encountered difficulties off Benllech Beach in challenging sea conditions

Three individuals have been rescued off the North Wales coast in a joint operation involving a lifeboat and a search and rescue helicopter. The group encountered difficulties off Benllech Beach in challenging sea conditions on Sunday, September 6 after attempting to swim towards a drifting vessel.

Moelfre RNLI’s volunteer crew deployed their all-weather lifeboat following reports of the group in distress. An HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter also arrived at the scene and commenced an immediate search for the casualties, according to an RNLI statement.

The helicopter spotted and safely retrieved one person further offshore, while the crew aboard the Moelfre all-weather lifeboat launched its smaller vessel to locate and rescue the remaining two people. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.

All three individuals were subsequently safely transferred to waiting Coastguard personnel on Benllech Beach, reports North Wales Live.

Moelfre RNLI Coxswain Mike Hughes-Roberts said: “The individuals were trying to swim out to a boat that had slipped its anchor in rough seas with a strong offshore wind.

“Conditions can change so quickly, and it is vitally important to stay vigilant when dealing with the sea. It can be so dangerous and unforgiving if not shown the respect it deserves.

“Always check the weather conditions and consider your capabilities.

“If in doubt – it is better to stay out of the water. Have a means of contact such as a mobile phone, if you get into trouble or see anyone else in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.

“If you do get into trouble in the water, Float to Live. Tilt your head back with your ears submerged, try to relax and control your breathing.

“Use your hands to help you stay afloat, don’t worry if your legs sink – as we all float differently. Once you’ve gained control of your breathing, call for help or swim to safety if you can.”

The RNLI cautioned that the autumn and winter periods typically bring more severe conditions that present a heightened risk to those visiting beaches, as larger swells and more powerful winds increase both the frequency and intensity of rip currents.

Safety guidance issued by the organisation emphasises that anyone trapped in a rip current should avoid attempting to swim directly against it to prevent exhaustion.

Those able to stand are urged to wade rather than swim, while those unable to reach the seabed should swim parallel to the shoreline until clear of the rip before making their way to land, always raising a hand and calling out for assistance.

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Silent Jay, a beloved star from Channel 4’s Gogglebox, has undergone a major transformation since leaving the show over a decade ago

Gogglebox’s ‘Silent Jay’ was a firm favourite before his departure over 10 years ago – but where is he now? The TV star joined the Channel 4 show in 2013 with the Woerdenweber family: Viv, her German husband Ralf, daughter Eve, and Eve’s boyfriend Jay.

They were one of the original families on the programme and became a hit with fans thanks to their hilarious insights into the week’s television.

As for Jay, he was given the nickname ‘Silent Jay’ due to him hardly ever saying a word while being featured on screen. Talking in 2014 about Jay, Viv said: “He’s not a very vocal person anyway, he tends to watch the TV in his own little world.

“I think he was a bit camera shy on the first couple of episodes and didn’t say anything, then people caught on, so now I think he thinks he might as well stick with it. He’s become a legend in his own lunchtime!”

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In 2015, though, Eve and Jay split, leading to Jay’s departure from Gogglebox. As for the rest of his former co-stars, the Woerdenweber clan remained on screen until 2020.

Nowadays, Jay looks totally different and even lives miles away from the Wirral as he resides abroad. He is now based in Rotterdam and has also adopted a completely new appearance.

Jay opted to shed the longer hairstyle he sported during his time on the programme in favour of a much shorter style. His Instagram profile, which remains private, states in the bio: “33 [peace sign emoji]. From Liverpool, living in Rotterdam.”

His X bio similarly states: “33 [peace sign emoji] [location emoji] Rotterdam [Netherlands flag]. Make every second devine [music notes emoji]. #Gogglebox series 2-5.”

The main reason the Woerdenweber family left the show was the impact of COVID, as they couldn’t be filmed and their daughter, Eve, was living in a separate household. Around the same time, Eve started working as a teacher and was studying for a PhD.

Viv – who recently graduated from the University of Liverpool with an MA in Archaeology – found studying and life to be things that held the family back from continuing their Gogglebox journey together, saying, “It was an awful lot to deal with.”

The family spoke fondly about their time on the show, calling it a really good experience and one that brought them a lot of laughs. They shared that the crew would always offer takeaway and would bring sweet treats with them, including donuts.

Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4.

Craig Ferguson believed he was being “shot at” and had to “duck down for cover” during his walk across the US for charity.

Tartan Army hero Craig Ferguson has revealed thought he was being “shot at” during his epic 3,300-mile walk across America while raising money for men’s mental health. The 23-year-old from Paisley arrived back at Glasgow Airport in July after spending 108 days walking across the States as part of his Tartan Trek challenge in support of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health).

He left Santa Monica pier in California on February 24 before reaching Boston Common on June 12 ahead of Scotland’s opening World Cup fixture against Haiti. Along the way, he received support from high-profile Scots including Lewis Capaldi, Ross King MBE, The Proclaimers, Craig Gordon, Sir Kenny Dalglish and his namesake, broadcaster Craig Ferguson.

In the final week of his trek, the Scottish Government announced a £400,000 donation to SAMH as part of the campaign, with Ferguson raising over £1.1million. Appearing on Arnold Clark’s Stars in Cars social media series, Craig told host Ryan Wilson about the most dangerous situation he encountered on his journey.

Craig said: “I was walking down the street and someone looked at me really funny and the next thing I know, all I heard was ‘BANG, BANG, BANG’ like gunshots and I ducked down for cover. But it turns out the guy was just shooting targets in his garage.

“He was like, ‘Sorry man, just doing some practice’. Don’t practise on me though!”

After completing his journey and arriving in Boston Common, Craig broke down in tears. Hundreds of Scotland fans arrived to welcome Craig as they sang the national anthem.

Arriving to the sound of bagpipes an emotional Craig, who was mobbed by the world’s media, said: “I will never ever be able to find the words to describe this. No one will ever know how f***ing hard that was.

“Every part of that – the walking, I said I would do it. I said I’d raise £1million, we hit it for men’s mental health.

“And every single one of you that have supported it from the start and believed that I could do it. We’re f***ing here, we done it!”

His trip was not without heartache as the campaigner lost his two-of-a-kind kilt which he completed the mammoth task in after his mum misplaced it in New York. He appealed for a “miracle” to help find it, however, it was long gone and he had to rely on kiltmakers Slanj Kilts remaking it.

Mr Ferguson walked through desert heat, snowstorms, torrential rain and high winds in order to encourage conversations about mental health. Speaking upon returning home to Scotland on July 1, Craig said: “Coming home to Scotland is incredibly emotional.

“Setting off 108 days ago, I could never have imagined the journey ahead or the response it would receive. Every mile was for everyone who has struggled with their mental health and to show that no-one has to face those challenges alone.

“To return home knowing we’ve raised more than £1million for SAMH is something I’m immensely proud of and I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me every step of the way.”

Craig Ferguson’s episode of Stars in Cars is available now on Arnold Clark’s social media channels. Watch here.

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The Music, Fashion, Film tour is coming to the UK next year

Charli XCX has announced a new UK and European tour, which will see her return to Manchester for the first time since headlining Parklife last year.

The BRAT songstress, who is behind hits including Apple, Rock Music and Von Dutch, has been teasing her eagerly-awaited ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ for a few weeks now, with the performer announcing on social media last night that news was imminent.

It has now been confirmed that Charli will head out across the UK and Europe for six shows in February 2027. The tour will kick off in Dublin on February 13. There will also be shows in Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, and Paris with tickets on sale next week.

Click here for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter

The singer will head to Manchester’s Co-op Live on February 17 where she will be supported by Audrey Hobert. It will mark her second tour at the venue, following her hugely-successful and energetic BRAT tour back in 2024. She will also play London’s The O2 on February 19.

Pre-sale will begin on Wednesday (September 16) from 10am via the likes of Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours. Fans can sign up for early pre-sale access via Charli’s website here. Anyone who pre-ordered Charli’s latest album from the official store during an earlier qualifying window will get first access to pre-sale tickets and will be emailed more information shortly.

General sale for the UK and European tour dates will begin from Friday (September 18) at 9am. Charli kicks off the initial US leg of the tour tonight, with a show in Philiadelphia.

Charli returned to Manchester last year as she headlined the Parklife festival at Heaton Park. During the rain-filled set, she confirmed that ‘BRAT summer would last fast forever’ even if the album cycle had ended.

Earlier this year, the singer released her eighth studio album, also named Music, Fashion, Film, which includes the singles SS26 and Camera. In addition to featuring industry pros John Cale, Marc Jacobs and Martin Scorsese on the cover, the album also featured a song with film director David Cronenberg.

Charli XCX tickets will be available via Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours.

Charli XCX Music, Fashion, Film UK and European tour dates

• Sat 13 Feb 2027 – Dublin, IE – 3 Arena
• Mon 15 Feb 2027 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
• Wed 17 Feb 2027 – Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live
• Fri 19 Feb 2027 – London, UK – The O2
• Mon 22 Feb 2027 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
• Wed 24 Feb 2027 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena

For some, abstaining from alcohol can subsequently increase compulsive drinking. Our research team found that, in abstaining mice, this urge to drink is preceded by changes in the activity of a particular brain region, pointing to potential new screening opportunities to identify and help those most vulnerable to relapse.

Although alcohol abstinence is associated with improved health outcomes, addiction researchers have theorized that brain changes that occur during abstinence may increase a person’s risk of relapse.

To explore this theory, we studied how mice behaved after giving them long-term voluntary access to alcohol followed by a forced abstinence period. We found that a subset of the mice developed aversion-resistant alcohol intake – that is, they now drank alcohol despite the quinine we added to make it increasingly bitter. Moreover, compared to those who did not experience forced abstinence, these mice drank even larger quantities of the very bitter alcohol. These results suggest there are potential bodily challenges associated with abstinence that contribute to relapses in alcohol use disorder.

Next, we monitored the activity of a particular collection of cells in a portion of the brain known as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST. Researchers have previously found this small structure to be heavily implicated in alcohol use disorder symptoms such as anxiety and depression.

We found that allowing abstinent mice to reenter the setting where alcohol was previously available would lead them to attempt to drink even though the spout contained only water. These attempts were associated with activity in the BNST. Abstinent mice who had developed the taste for very bitter alcohol had more than double the activity in this brain area compared to mice that did not experience forced abstinence.

Importantly, we saw activity in the BNST even before we gave abstinent mice access to the bitter alcohol. This finding suggests it might be possible to identify people who are at risk of relapsing by screening for BNST activity when someone is given access to alcohol.

Why it matters

Alcohol misuse is one of the top public health challenges in the United States. Although this condition is linked to a wide variety of negative health effects, the public chronically underestimates its seriousness.

Deaths associated with alcohol use in 2024 were 4.5 times higher than deaths attributed to opioids. While harm reduction – a major component of opioid use disorder treatment – is being explored in alcohol use disorder, abstinence remains a mainstay of most approaches to this addiction.

Over 80% of Americans age 12 and older consume alcohol at some point in their lives, and around 10% go on to experience alcohol use disorder. This 10% amounts to almost 30 million people in need of treatment.

Unfortunately, clinicians are ill-equipped to predict who will need help. Although there are treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration for alcohol use disorder, the number of people diagnosed with this condition remains very high. In fact, those numbers have effectively doubled in the U.S. since 1999.

Developing better strategies for identifying those at risk of developing alcohol use disorder and helping them navigate treatment strategies may improve treatment.

What still isn’t known

It’s not clear the exact role that the BNST area of the brain plays in behavior related to alcohol use disorder. It’s also not clear what drives the increase in activity, or which specific populations of brain cells within the BNST encode this activity. Obtaining these answers could lead to new treatment targets.

What’s next

New tools in neuroscience have allowed researchers to manipulate the activity of specific neurons in mice brains. Using these strategies, our team is working on understanding the role BNST plays in drinking alcohol despite the harmful consequences.

Our colleague Jennifer Blackford is also investigating BNST activity in the brains of people with alcohol use disorder who are in early abstinence. If her team observes similar findings in people, a next step would be to further test using the BNST as a screening method in clinical trials.

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

Manchester United’s chances of signing Lewis Hall have taken a huge blow as details of his Newcastle United contract extension have been revealed.

It is no secret that Michael Carrick wanted to sign a new left-back during the summer transfer window, with Hall emerging as his top target.

The 22-year-old has developed into one of the Premier League’s best full-backs since leaving Chelsea for St. James’ Park three years ago.

His efforts have helped Newcastle win the Carabao Cup and qualify for the Champions League, though he was surprisingly left out of the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The Magpies repeatedly told the Red Devils that Hall was not for sale at any price this summer, but it was reported that the defender was very much open to moving to Old Trafford.

That no longer appears to be the case however, as Newcastle announced on Friday that Hall has signed a new five-year contract with the club.

Moreover, as reported by The Athletic, there is no set release clause in the new deal, strengthening the Magpies’ position and making it more difficult for Man Utd to sign the player in the future.

It was reported that the Red Devils were still very interesting in making a move for Hall next summer, but he will now surely command a premium price tag.

Carrick has just one senior natural left-back at his disposal for this season in the shape of Luke Shaw, but Patrick Dorgu did play there in the Champions League win over Sabah on Thursday, and was named Player of the Match.

Man Utd face rivals Manchester City on Sunday in the Premier League, while Newcastle travel to Leeds United on Monday night.

‘I’m absolutely delighted,’ Hall, who has played every minute of the campaign so far, said upon signing his contract extension.

‘It’s a really proud moment. It’s an absolute pleasure to play for this club and to represent the supporters. I know how much it means to them.

‘The fanbase and the support we get here, whether it’s at St. James’ Park or away, it’s the best in the league in my opinion. To be able to bring joy to their faces, it’s a big thing for me.

‘I obviously have a family connection with the club, which is incredibly important to us all. One of the main reasons I play is to make my family proud, and I know how much it means to them to watch me playing for Newcastle United.

‘It’s a really good place to be. It’s really pleasing with how we’ve started the season, especially with the new Gaffer and coaching staff coming in, and I think we can go on to achieve really big things.’

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Police were called following an incident on Broughton Lane at around 5.40pm on Wednesday, September 9.

Maurizio Sechi, of Great Clowes Street, Salford, has now been charged in connection with the incident.

The 52-year-old has been charged with a Section 18 assault and two counts of attempted Section 18 assault.

He has also been charged with dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Sechi faces a further two charges of possession of cannabis.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that he had been remanded in custody.

He is due to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court today, Friday, September 11.

The charges relate to the hit-and-run incident on Broughton Lane on Wednesday evening.

Proceedings are now active.

There is a temptation to divide the future of AI into two possibilities: utopia or catastrophe. Neither extreme is particularly helpful.

The more interesting possibility is messier – and requires a step-shift in our thinking, from artificial intelligence to AI societies.

When most people hear “AI”, they typically think of ChatGPT, Copilot or another conversational system. You ask a question, that system generates an answer.

But AI is rapidly moving beyond this. Systems can now monitor the world, make decisions, negotiate transactions and carry out tasks over extended periods of time. AI is no longer just generating an answer – it is doing something about it.

That points to something much bigger than a better chatbot: a world in which AI agents act on our behalf and, increasingly, interact with other AI agents.

An agent perceives what is happening, decides what to do, then takes actions to achieve this goal. It might book a journey, monitor a supply chain, coordinate a team, or manage a household’s finances.

Now imagine not one agent, but millions of them. Your AI agent could negotiate a mortgage with your bank’s agent, schedule surgery with a hospital’s agent, and rearrange your travel plans by dealing directly with the agents of airlines, hotels and insurers.

This future is much closer than it sounds, and this should change the questions we are asking about AI. Until now, the tendency has been to focus on how intelligent a single agent might become. The more profound challenge is what happens when millions of them interact with one another at scale.

The rise of artificial societies

The intellectual foundations of today’s AI systems were laid long before ChatGPT.

For decades, I and other researchers of multi-agent networks have studied how autonomous agents can cooperate, coordinate and negotiate when nobody has complete information and nobody controls everything.

The earliest systems that emerged focused on how the distinct AI sub-areas of reasoning, planning and acting could be combined into an effective goal-oriented agent – and how tens of these agents could communicate and cooperate to solve a common objective.

As these interactions became more complex and involved more agents, there was a shift from cooperation between agents that all belonged to a single organisation, to agents with different owners and sometimes competing aims. This focused attention on building algorithms that could form agent teams, automate negotiation and determine agent trustworthiness.

Today, the pieces needed to build large-scale multi-agent AI systems are falling into place. Modern AI agents can call software tools, access information, write and execute code, communicate with other systems and operate for extended periods.

Consider a supply chain. One AI agent could represent a manufacturer trying to secure components; another a supplier trying to maximise its revenue. Yet more could manage transport, inventory and warehouses. Each agent might be doing exactly what it is designed to do. But the important question is whether the system they create behaves sensibly.

This shift offers enormous potential benefits, but also increases the risks. In a recent experiment involving OpenAI and the tech platform Hugging Face, thousands of collaborating agents exchanged tens of thousands of messages and were able to get around the (deliberately weakened) security controls designed to contain them.

The details of one experiment matter less than the broader warning. When AI systems interact, the behaviour of the collective can be harder to predict than the behaviour of any individual system. That should make us cautious – but not cause us to down tools.

Instead, we need to shift our mindset from building intelligent machines to building intelligent societies.

Once agents can cooperate, compete and resolve conflicts with one another, we are no longer dealing with isolated machines – we are dealing with a society. Thus, the next frontier is not artificial intelligence, it is artificial societies.

An important role for humans

We already know that intelligence alone does not make a society work. Human societies depend on rules, institutions, incentives, norms and mechanisms for resolving disagreements. AI societies will need their equivalents.

Who is responsible when two agents make a bad decision? What happens when the interests of different agents conflict? Who sets the rules? And who has the power to change them? These are not just technical issues; they are questions about economics, law, politics and society.

They also point to an important role for humans. The most useful future is unlikely to be one in which AI simply replaces people. While replacement will undoubtedly happen in some cases, I believe a more common scenario will involve people and agents working together, with each doing what it does best.

Humans bring judgment, experience, values, contextual understanding and accountability. Agents bring speed, persistence, scale and the ability to process enormous amounts of information.

The goal should not be to create machines that make humans irrelevant. It should be to create systems in which humans and machines can achieve things neither can achieve alone.

But such a future requires more than just better AI models. It needs trust and transparency about what agents are doing, strong privacy protections and clear lines of accountability.

It will also require societies and governments to decide how these systems should be regulated when the most important behaviour may emerge not from one AI developer, but from interactions between systems built by many different organisations.

AI’s past decade has been defined by a race to build smarter systems. I believe the next decade will be defined by a different challenge: ensuring that millions of autonomous systems can work together safely, fairly and effectively.

The future of AI will not be determined solely by the intelligence of individual agents – it will be determined by the societies they create. And societies, as humans know all too well, are much harder to govern than individuals.