At the Edinburgh International Festival, we believe art should spark conversation and reflection. 

On 24 February 2026, inspired by Mere Mortals by San Francisco Ballet, we held our next Conducting Business event - a panel discussion exploring the future of AI.

The Next Act: Are we ready for the AI revolution?

Art should challenge us, inspire us and open a window onto the wider world. These ideas sit at the heart of the Festival’s founding, and for almost eighty years our purpose has remained constant: to create space for meaningful debate and dialogue.

February's Conducting Business discussion was inspired by the themes of Mere Mortals from San Francisco Ballet, the Pandora’s Box myth reimagined in the age of AI.  The performance will have its European Premiere at the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival.

The work explores the evolving relationship between humans and technology, using the language of ballet to examine questions of control, authorship and creation. San Francisco Ballet is one of the world’s great dance companies, and we are honoured to welcome them back to Edinburgh for their first performance in the city for over twenty years.

The advancement of artificial intelligence is one of the defining shifts of our generation, for the workforce, for the economy and for society. It is a conversation unfolding urgently in boardrooms, offices and governments across the country. Are we ready?

The Panel

Our fantastic panel discussed AI readiness and, crucially, who holds the responsibility for the future. Hosted by Steph Wright, our panel included:

• Chris Yiu (Director of Public Policy, Northern Europe at Meta)
• Will Page (Author of Pivot and Former Chief Economist at Spotify and PRS for Music)
• Emily Sullivan (Co-Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures in the Edinburgh Futures Institute)
• Chris van der Kuyl (Chairperson of 4J Studios)

Discover More  

To find out more about how we can work together, contact our Head of Partnerships, Ally Steel at [email protected]