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The Royal Festival Hall is closed to the public on Tuesday 16 June. It will reopen for Harry Styles & Jules Buckley Orchestra ticket holders only at 5pm.

Rebecca F Kuang sat at a table in a restaurant, resting her head on her hand with a glass of water next to her.
View all events for category: Literature & poetry

Rebecca F Kuang: The Future of Education

Sat 19 Sep 2026, 2pm

Bestselling author Rebecca F Kuang curates a panel of thinkers to unpack the challenges and transformative ideas redefining learning in the 21st century.

Universities and colleges have long been heralded as crucibles of innovation, intellectual freedom and social mobility. But in recent years, higher education has been reshaped by rising costs, shifting labour markets and the use of artificial intelligence.

What will the next decade of higher education look like in the face of unprecedented new challenges? How can universities grapple with AI and navigate a new political framework to push forward the boundaries of knowledge? And who are the innovators shaping new models of learning and research already?

Kuang – author of Yellowface, Katabasis and Babel: An Arcane History – curates a panel of friends and thinkers to explore these knotty and pressing questions. Together, they spotlight the transformative ideas that redefine what it means to learn and teach today.

Joining Kuang on the panel is Rose Luckin, a leading expert on the ethics of AI in relation to learning.

Kuang is a multi-award-winning author and number one New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. She is currently pursuing a PhD in East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Her forthcoming novel, Taipei Story, arrives in the autumn.

Rose Luckin is a leading expert on AI in education with over 30 years’ experience advising governments, policymakers and industry. Professor Emerita at UCL and founder and CEO of Educate Ventures Research, she is a prolific author and international speaker who has received major honours including the 2025 Bett Outstanding Achievement Award.

Need to know

Age guidance
For ages 12+. Under 12s must be accompanied by an adult.

Times & tickets

Dates, times and prices

Dates & times

19 Sep 2026, 2pm

Run time

1 hour and 30 minutes (approx)

All timings are approximate and subject to change

Standard entry

from £24

Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.

Concessions

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Access

Accessible events

The performance on Saturday 19 September at 2.00pm is Speech-to-Text transcribed Book now

This event is Speech-to-Text transcribed (STT).

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For your visit

This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.