What Can AI and Theology Teach Us About Consciousness?

 

 

An evening memorial and celebration of the life of Adam Stanmore. Doors open at 6:30pm The event will include an hour panel discussion with Rawz, Bartek Piasta, Professor Anthony Reddie, and Evelyn Miller on the themes of theology and technology, specifically the opportunities for conscious-raising at the intersections of AI and Theology.

 

Rawz is a multimedia artist and researcher from Oxford. His work blends words, music, visual art and more with a commitment to social justice, often using art as a research methodology or as a way of sharing and/or interpreting research on a variety of themes. He found his voice through lyricism, using poetry and Hip Hop as a self-guided therapy while growing up on the Leys in Oxford - one of England's most underserved estates. Rawz has performed all over Europe, collaborated with musicians from all over the world, and shared stages with some of his childhood heroes. From these experiences emerged his multifaceted arts practice, often exploring themes of resilience, memory, and our intricately interconnected worlds.

In 2009 Rawz founded The Urban Music Foundation to share skills that had helped him through hard times in his youth, this grassroots organisation brings well over a decade of experience connecting people with themselves and each other through creativity and the arts in a range of settings - from local community centres to world famous museums. The Urban Music Foundation works to bring harmony, rhythm and meaning to the often cacophonous urban environment. 

 

Bartek Piasta was born in Poland and came to live in Oxford at 4-5 years old. His adult life has been plagued with addiction issues, which he managed to get to grips with in 2013. In sobriety, Bartek has qualified as a Solicitor and has practiced in Mental Health, Family, Children’s, and Criminal Law. He is also halfway through a PhD looking at Sentencing for Child Sex Offenders and also works for the NHS as a Peer Support Worker. Most importantly, Bartek had known Adam from school age, and were like brothers.

 

Professor Anthony G. Reddie is the Professor of Black Theology in the University of Oxford, a historic first ever appointment.  He is also the Director of the Centre for Black Theology, Regent’s Park College, in the University of Oxford. He is also an Extraordinary Professor of Theological Ethics and a Research Fellow with the University of South Africa. He is the first Black person to get an ‘A’ rating in Theology and Religious studies in the South African National Research Foundation. This designation means that he is a leading international researcher. He has a BA in History and a Ph.D. in Education (with theology) both degrees conferred by the University of Birmingham. He is a prolific author of books, articles and chapters in edited books. 

His latest book is Living Black Theology: Decolonizing Knowledge (OUP, 2025). He is also the author of Theologizing Brexit: A Liberationist and Postcolonial Critique (Routledge, 2019). This book is the first intercultural and postcolonial theological exploration of the Brexit phenomenon He is the Editor of Black Theology: An International Journal. He is a recipient of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s 2020 Lambeth, Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship, given for ‘exceptional and sustained contribution to Black Theology in Britain and Beyond’. He is a member of the Archbishops Commission for Racial Justice in the Church of England. In September 2023, Anthony Reddie was appointed as the first ever Professor of Black Theology in the University of Oxford, the first appointment of its kind in 900 years.

 

Evelyn Miller is a multidisciplinary creative and sociologist with a background in the arts, publishing, start-ups, strategy, marketing and digital consulting. Her work reflects a strong commitment to creativity, innovation and community-building across sectors. 

 

Chair:

Holly Cooper (they/them) is a DPhil History student at the University of Oxford, who, under the supervision of Dr. Meleisa Ono-George and Dr. Chantelle Jessica Lewis, is working on a community grounded thesis of the Black Caribbean community in Coventry. Prior to this, Cooper had completed their History BA (Hons) at the University of Lincoln (2020), and the Black British History MA at Goldsmiths, University of London (2022).

 

Over the last five years, they have undertaken several different research roles, surrounding archival recovery, reparatory justice, educational reform, community education, and the legacies of the British Empire. More recently, Cooper was the Co-I on an ISRF-funded project, the objective of which was to establish a network to support Black, Caribbean, and/or African historians and communities in Britain by encouraging further entry into the study of Black history, while advocating for the legitimacy of the field in Britain

 

 

The event is hosted by the Centre for Black Theology, supported by the Race & Resistance Research Hub. 

 

Free food will be provided by Dutch N Such.