Laura Bates: The New Age of Sexism

AI and the new horizon of evolving technologies may come to affect every aspect of our lives. When it comes to the rights and safeties of women, it’s already clear that sexism is a feature, not a glitch, of so many online spaces.

In her new book the clear-sighted and visionary author of Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates, takes us on an exploration of what this new world - which is already here - means for the struggle against misogyny, and its related fights for liberation.

Step into a world where:

• Little girls dressed up as women dance for an audience of adult men.
• A pornographic deepfake image or video of you exists on the internet and you just don’t know it yet.
• Men create ‘perfect’ AI girlfriends who live in their pocket – customised to every last detail, from breast size to eye colour and personality, only lacking the ability to say no.

This isn’t an image of the future. Sex robots, chatbots and the metaverse are here and spreading fast.

We’re overjoyed, to say the least, to be able to welcome Laura back to Edinburgh for the Scottish launch of The New Age of Sexism. Come along for an evening of eye-opening facts, essential stories, and exchange of ideas crucial to the safety of us all. Laura will be in conversation with writer and researcher Gemma Milne.

Our speaker:

Laura Bates studied English at Cambridge University and went on to be a freelance journalist. She has written for the Guardian, the Independent, the New Statesman, Red Magazine and Grazia among others. She is also contributor at Women Under Siege, a New-York based organisation working to combat the use of sexual violence as a tool of war in conflict zones worldwide. She is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.

Our Chair:

Gemma Milne is a writer and researcher focused on political economy, culture and social concerns of science and technology. She is author of 'Smoke & Mirrors: How Hype Obscures the Future and How to See Past It'; is a researcher in Science and Technology Studies and Economic Sociology at University of Glasgow; has written for outlets such as The Guardian, WIRED, Forbes, the BBC and others; and is co-host of the Radical Science podcast.