Punctual planes, point-of-need vaccines, and finding inspiration in unexpected places
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In a venue steeped in history and ingenuity, PA’s Summer Event – ‘Bringing ingenuity to life: Combining imagination with pioneering technology to build a positive human future’ – brought together a diverse group of leaders, thinkers, and technologists to explore the themes of curiosity, collaboration, and catalysing value.
The event opened with a powerful reflection on the nature of innovation. Just as aviation transformed the 20th century, today’s challenges – climate change, healthcare, and the rise of AI – demand a similarly bold, joined-up response. The message was clear: progress is no longer about siloed excellence, but about collective intelligence.
Our CEO, Christian Norris, opened the event with a reflection of our rich heritage, such as the world’s first 3G video call and the world’s first disposable pregnancy test, both of which are so ubiquitous today. And Christian looked ahead to the challenges our teams apply themselves to today, such as revolutionising carbon capture tech and speeding up vaccine discovery.
Systems thinking
Chief Innovation Officer Frazer Bennett’s opening speech made the case for systems thinking and collaboration as key to powering innovation and growth. And he reflected on the arduous journey behind every innovation – where “there’s a story of personal triumph and tragedy… of financial triumph and tragedy.”
And so it is today for us too as we work to solve some of the most complex challenges of our generation, whether it’s artificial intelligence, clean and green energy, sustainable materials, or advances in life sciences that frankly, even five years ago we wouldn’t have thought possible.”
Giving examples of powerful collaboration, he cited our work with Heathrow Airport to bring improvement in punctuality through the airport repeatedly over the last few years. And he touched on our work with Nature’s Toolbox, NTx Bio, in the area of mRNA synthesis. “We’ve taken today a process that today takes three or four PhD research scientists in a lab and compressed that into a single desktop machine”, he told delegates. Built in just 10 months, just one machine can manufacture enough COVID-19 vaccine for the whole of London in a weekend, right at the point of use.
Unexpected intelligence
The keynote from Professor Hannah Fry touched on multiple curiosities including biohacking, longevity research, and interspecies communication. Her stories underscored a deeper truth: the future will be shaped not just by machines, but by how we choose to understand and work with the world around us – and that there may well be surprises along the way.
There is an incredible amount of intelligence that is hiding in really unexpected places. And I think the big difference that I’m seeing at the moment is the way that we are now working out how to discover and exploit some of nature’s intelligence.”
A future gift
That theme of intelligence – and the value we can get from it – carried into a panel discussion led by PA’s Global Head of AI, Alwin Magimay. Framing the rise of AI and intelligent enterprises, as akin to the dawn of electricity, the conversation tackled the gap between AI’s promise and its current reality. Why, despite the hype, has productivity not soared? The answer lies in leadership, alignment, and imagination.
Carl Dalby of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Karen Mcluskie from the Department for Business and Trade, Chris Astall of the RAC, and Gillian Magee (MAPM) from AstraZeneca all shared candid insights. They spoke of the need to move beyond “upskilling” to “new-skilling”, and to embrace AI not as a threat but as a tool for augmenting human potential.
Perhaps most striking was the call for curiosity. Whether in government or industry, the leaders who will thrive are those who ask better questions, who empower their teams to experiment, and who see AI not as a silver bullet but as a catalyst for reimagining how we work, live, and lead.
You’ve got to allow that curious discovery to take place. And it’s a real challenge because there is so much content out there that suggests AI is some magic bullet, some Harry Potter wizardry, and it is not, right? You’ve got to get back to basics.”
Wrap-up
As the evening drew to a close, guests were invited to do more than network – they were challenged to collaborate. Because, as one speaker put it, “the breakthrough to your biggest challenge might be sitting right next to you”.
In a world of accelerating complexity, this event was a timely reminder: the future is not something we inherit, or that anyone owns. It’s something we build, together.
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