We are in an extraordinary moment of technological progress, with AI fast integrating into almost every aspect of society and everyday life, opening up new frontiers of science, creativity, and societal benefit. Assuming AI’s capabilities continue to evolve and expand, given where we are and the trajectories we can see, what are the key things we must get right in order to encourage the most positive outcomes of AI while addressing risks and complexities? And what role do we all have to play in getting it right?
For nearly 50 years, the annual Hinton Lecture has hosted some of the world’s leading voices in engineering. They’ve shared bold visions for the future and reflected on the differences being made by the latest breakthroughs. This year, we welcomed James Manyika, Senior Vice President at Google & Alphabet, to deliver an unmissable talk. James leads Google & Alphabet's most ambitious innovations in AI, computing and sciences. His insights span the technical, the societal, and the global — making him uniquely placed to explore how we develop AI for the public good.
The event concluded with a live audience Q&A, chaired by Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, software engineer and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
James Manyika
James focuses on advancing Google, Google DeepMind and Alphabet’s most ambitious innovations in AI, Computing and Science and on their potential for broad beneficial impact on people and society. He also leads Google Research, Google Labs, Learning & Sustainability, and Technology & Society.
He was Vice Chair of the US National AI Advisory Committee and Co-Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body, Vice Chair of the Global Development Council at the White House and member US Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.
He’s a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Distinguished Fellow of Stanford’s AI Institute, and in Ethics in AI at Oxford. A Rhodes Scholar, James has DPhil, MSc and MA from Oxford in AI and robotics, mathematics, and computer science, a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Zimbabwe.
Sir John Lazar CBE FREng
Sir John is a software engineer and entrepreneur with experience of building and managing successful global businesses. He is Chair of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which aims to help young people realise their full potential through the power of computing and digital technologies. He is also co-founder, General Partner, and a Limited Partner at Enza Capital, which backs founders and teams using technology to solve large and meaningful problems across Africa. He sits on the boards of multiple African technology companies and previously served as the Chair of What3words. He was awarded a CBE for services to engineering in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2016 and was knighted for services to engineering and technology in the His Majesty The King’s New Year Honours List 2025. Sir John was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2011 and chaired the Academy’s Enterprise Committee, which supports startups and scaleups across the UK and globally through the Enterprise Hub. He has also been a member of the Academy’s Education and Skills Committee and played an active role in developing the programme of study for England’s school Computer Science curriculum. Sir John has also been a judge and mentor for the Academy’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, which trains and backs early-stage African engineering companies. He has spent many years working on tech-related non-profit initiatives in Africa, especially building “digital blacksmiths” and maker labs. He has been an active angel investor and technology start-up mentor in the UK and Africa, with more than 40 individual pre-seed/seed investments. He graduated from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar with an MSc in Computation and a DPhil in History, following an undergraduate degree in Computer Science at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Sir John was elected as President of the Royal Academy of Engineering at its 48th AGM in 2024.