The author and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project shatters the illusion of progress with her book about the future of sexism in a new age of technology.

We like to think that we’re gradually making progress towards equality. With the advent of ever-more high-tech equipment at our fingertips, we tend to assume that progress will be hastened, as new technology is used in positive and democratising ways.

But a new wave of technologies threatens this notion. Deepfakes. The metaverse. Cyber brothels. With misogyny being baked into their design, these technologies are dragging women back to the dark ages.

The New Age of Sexism takes the listener deep into the heart of this strange new world, diving into where and what the dangers are, because we cannot ignore them.

This is not a book about the future. This is happening right now, and it could become part of our daily lives far sooner than we realise.

Followed by a book signing

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Share in our literary day " Inspiring Women with Words" It's not just for women! Hear from authors who have inspired women and society.

Laura Bates, activist , writer and journalist will share the  experiences  that have influenced her work on Everyday Sexism and discuss her recent venture into the fantasy genre. These books offer alternative pathways for todays young women. 

Presentation to be followed by an in-conversation discussion with author Louise Morrish , followed by audience Q&A and book signing.

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A conversation with Harriet Wistrich. Two incredible women discuss every-day sexism in an ever-increasing world of gender inequality and a justice system that often fails women. Harriet Wistrich and Laura Bates are brilliant, inspirational thinkers and campaigners, this crucial event will promote an important debate and discussion that every woman should be a part of.

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The Scottish launch of 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.

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AI-powered technologies are revolutionising our lives and putting women and girls in danger. In her urgent and gripping new book The New Age of Sexism, Laura Bates delves into our future and finds it wanting. From chatbots to sex robots, from deep fakes to the metaverse, Laura examines how existing forms of discrimination, inequality and harassment are being coded into the very foundations of our future world while a small group of obscenely rich white men prioritise their profits over our lives.

Hosted by Helen Mort, award-winning poet, novelist and creative writing lecturer.

Presented by Manchester Literature Festival in partnership with the Centre for New Writing and Creative Manchester.

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Wheelchair Users and those with other access needs requiring a free Essential Carer ticket should contact the Quaytickets Box Office on 0161 876 2015 to purchase tickets.

The New Age of Sexism

- 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. A new wave of AI-powered technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, is putting women everywhere in danger.

In The New Age of Sexism, Sunday Times bestselling author and campaigner Laura Bates takes the reader deep into the heart of this strange new world. She travels to cyber brothels and visits schools gripped by an epidemic of online sexual abuse, showing how every aspect of our lives – from education to work, sex to entertainment – is being infiltrated by ever-evolving technologies that are changing the way we live and love forever. This rising tide, despite all its potential for good, is a wild west where women’s rights and safety are being sacrificed at the altar of profitability.

Gripping and eye-opening, The New Age of Sexism exposes a phenomenon we can’t afford to ignore any longer. Our future is on the line. We need to act now, before it is too late.

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An Evening with Laura Bates

Join us as we welcome Laura Bates to Waterstones Nottingham to celebrate the release of The New Age of Sexism.

Laura will discuss her new book before and audience Q&A and book signing.

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New AI-driven technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, are putting women in danger. In The New Age of Sexism, author and campaigner Laura Bates takes us deep into the heart of this rapidly evolving world. She confronts deepfake pornography, travels to cyber brothers, and hears from schools in the grip of online sexual abuse, showing how our lives are being infiltrated by easily accessible technologies that are changing the way we live and love. Chaired by Helen Mort.

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Accessibility information for the Pennine Lecture Theatre can be found here. If you have any questions regarding accessibility for this event, please feel free to contact us at access@weareopus.org.

In The New Age of Sexism, activist Laura Bates takes her reader deep into the heart of a strange new world. A world in which little girls dress up as women and dance for adult men; where a pornographic deepfake image of you exists on the internet – you just don’t know it yet, and where men create AI girlfriends who live in their pocket. In this compelling exploration of the rise of AI-powered technologies, Bates reveals how profit motives often overshadow the well-being of women. She exposes the darker side of this new frontier, urging society to confront the dangerous implications of these emerging tools.  

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Champions of Artificial Intelligence focus on its potential to increase productivity and foster innovation, but its social and cultural implications remain unchecked.

Nowhere is this more alarming than in the world of sex and relationships, where a new wave of AI-powered technologies is changing the way we live and love forever.

In ‘The New Age of Sexism’, Sunday Times bestselling author Laura Bates reveals how an online world of deepfakes and unregulated tech is reframing misogyny for the digital age.

She will be joined by Channel 4 presenter Cathy Newman, herself a victim of online deepfakes, and Labour Women’s Network chair, Thangam Debbonaire, to discuss how women’s rights and safety are being sacrificed at the altar of profitability.

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Join us in conversation with Laura Bates, Sunday Times bestselling author and campaigner, to discuss her latest book, The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny.

In conversation with Alexi Mostrous, Tortoise's Head of Investigations and host of award-winning Sweet Bobby and Who Trolled Amber, Laura will take us deep into this strange but very real new world - one in which she's travelled to cyber brothels and visited schools gripped by an epidemic of online sexual abuse. She'll expose how every aspect of our lives - from education to work, sex and entertainment - is being infiltrated by ever-evolving technologies that are changing the way we live and love forever.

Followed by a book signing

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Join us for an enlightening evening of discussion with two incredible feminist authors.

Delving into the thought-provoking themes explored in their books, we will be navigating topics of motherhood, societal pressure on women and men, new-age technology and its impacts on the lives of women, and the complex reality of womanhood in an ever-changing world.

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Step into a world where little girls dressed up as women dance for an audience of adult men, where a pornographic deep fake video of you exists on the internet and you just don’t know it yet, and where men create ‘perfect’ AI girlfriends who live in their pocket.

This isn’t an image of the future. Sex robots, chatbots and the metaverse are here and spreading fast. A new wave of AI-powered technologies, with misogyny baked into their design, is putting women everywhere in danger.

Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, takes us deep into the heart of this strange new world, from cyber brothels to schools gripped by an epidemic of online sexual abuse, showing how our lives are being infiltrated by ever-evolving technologies that are changing the way we live and love. Interviewed by Samira Ahmed

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The activist and bestselling feminist writer introduces the second instalment in her epic Arthurian fantasy series. Sisters of Fire and Fury is a reimagining of the tales of the Arthurian Round Table through a feminist lens. Discover the Sisters of Sword and Shadow who live in a world of ancient feuds and glorious battles and who are determined to protect their community and right the wrongs of men.

Laura will share her original inspiration, her action-packed research at Knight school and why she hopes this novel will bring joy to feminists young and old. The founder of the Everyday Sexism Project has made waves in YA fiction with her Sisters of Sword and Shadow series, combining mythic elements with contemporary feminist themes.

12+ years

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

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