Reflections on Evolve 25 - and Why We Still Don’t Know What AI Is Really For

Yesterday, I sat in the Brighton Dome surrounded by coders, creatives, strategists, and sceptics - all trying to figure out what AI is really for. The occasion? Evolve 25, hosted by the brilliant team at Silicon Brighton.

There was one quote that hit me sideways, in the best way.

"Talking about AI ethics is like we’re all running around with a massive chainsaw… and we’re buttering bread with it - while asking how the chainsaw is made.”

– Stephanie Antonian - founder at Aestoria.

It sliced straight through the hype. Because that’s exactly what it feels like.

We’re all making now. Building websites. Writing novels. Generating marketing assets. Churning out content unprecedented speed. Everyone’s a creator. A strategist. A publisher.

And yet somehow - we’re still not totally sure what we’re creating for. We’re buttering bread with a chainsaw.

The panel on building trust and relevance in local AI innovation brought this into focus. Because trust doesn’t start with the tech. It starts with listening. With context. With building something people actually need.

There’s so much urgency right now to “use AI”. To prove you’re ahead. To automate the next thing. To build faster. Do more. Replace processes.

But what about purpose? Who’s stepping back and asking:

• Is this something real people want?

• Are we solving problems - or just filling timelines?

• Do our customers understand this?

• Do we?

Another standout moment came from the founders of BrightonAI, hosts of No Code & Brews Meetup - an unsurprisingly popular local event (I've joined the Waitlist 🙏.) The panel spoke powerfully about AI’s place in the Brighton community, and how we can engage people to find real use cases. It got me thinking that we’re becoming jacks-of-all-trades - creators, developers, designers, analysts - but perhaps masters of none.

That couldn't feel more accurate as I ask ChatGPT whether the tile grout I picked up at a car boot sale for £1 (expired in 2022, naturally) is suitable for outdoor tiles. (Tiling experience = 0.) Or how to become an expert? blogger overnight...

Then Rose Tighe shared something that really landed:

“Now is the time for true entrepreneurism, to master our own paths, shape our own tools, and take ownership of how we work.”

Because for all our talk of innovation and disruption, maybe this is the opportunity AI is handing us:

• The chance to reimagine how we work - not just what we produce.

• We’re publishing more than ever. But we’ve stopped asking: who’s reading?

• Because as powerful as AI is - as transformative as it might be - we still haven’t cracked the why.

We know it’s big. We know it’s changing everything. But the new paradigm? The one where AI meaningfully reshapes how we live and work? It’s still under construction.

And maybe that’s okay. Rome wasn’t built in a sprint.

Maybe we need more messy, local, thoughtful conversations like the one we had yesterday - where chainsaws, grout, search engines, and people all sit at the same table. Where the goal isn’t to sound clever, but to build something human.

So yes - bring the tech. Bring the tools. But maybe keep the butter knives handy.

Thanks again to everyone at Silicon Brighton, to the speakers and organisers, and to all the brilliant speakers who reminded us:

The future of AI isn’t just about speed. It’s about human direction. We did build the chainsaw after all.