Why AI in the classroom is a catastrophe – Sophie Winkleman [ARC 2026] [video]
Actress Sophie Winkleman argues at ARC 2026 that AI in classrooms is a catastrophe, warning it undermines critical thinking, deep learning, and genuine human development in education.
Background
Sophie Winkleman is an actress and the wife of Conservative MP and former UK universities minister Lord (David) Willetts. She gave this talk at ARC 2026, a conference organized by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC), a UK-based conservative think tank that focuses on "renewing the promise of the West." The group was co-founded by Jordan Peterson, the controversial psychologist and public intellectual, along with conservative commentator and filmmaker John Robson and others. ARC conferences bring together figures skeptical of rapid technological and social change, often arguing for traditional institutions and values. In this talk, Winkleman argues that replacing human teachers with AI in classrooms harms children's emotional and intellectual development. She frames this as part of a broader critique of tech-driven disruption to childhood and education.