Sir Anthony Seldon on humanity, the looming AI crisis and what makes our Prime Ministers do behind closed doors
“AI will never in a squillion years be able to put its fingers into the soil. There’s something about planting, about watching something grow, that is intensely human. That’s what we need to protect – the ability to feel, to care, to create.”
Sir Anthony Seldon is a man of many guises – historian, reformer, political biographer and one of the most transformative headteachers of his generation. Having head up both Brighton College and Wellington College, Sir Anthony now leads Wellington College Education, overseeing the growing network of its schools across the globe. Quite remarkably, he is the author of over 45 books, most notably the definitive auotbiographies of the last seven Prime Ministers, with Anthony drawing back the curtain on the people behind the position. Above all, Anthony holds a profound conviction that education must serve us as humans as much as the intellect, something that he believes is constantly under threat.
In typically pensive style, Anthony reflects on a lifetime spent reimagining what schools can be and do, arguing for a shift away from the treadmill of exams to a model that values "head, hand and heart", where empathy, creativity and self-knowledge are as meaningful as good grades. He discusses AI's threat to our autonomy, the crisis of unhappiness amongst students and teachers and why governments are constantly behind the pace. It's vintage Seldon: eloquent, provocative and unafraid to discuss the failures of our system as much as celebrate it.
🎙️ Episode highlights
He shares his unconventional interview tactics to eschew formalities and find out who people really are.
He thinks that AI is both a tool and a threat, warning that we risk outsourcing our thinking and our creativity.
He critiques our system that prizes results over wellbeing, describing a “crisis of joy” among both students and staff.
He reflects on his work with Times Education Commission and why lasting reform must come from the profession and not government.
He opens the door to 10 Downing Street and reveals the human side to those with the top job.
He offers his advice to fellow teachers: "get out, connect, touch people's heart – don't retreat into cynicism".