In February 1975, a group of geneticists gathered in a tiny town, Asilomar, on the central coast of California to decide if their work would bring about the end of the world.

42 years on, another group of scientists gathered at Asilomar to consider a similar problem. In January 2017, the world’s top artificial intelligence researchers walked down the same beachside paths as they discussed their rapidly accelerating field and the role it will play in the fate of humanity. It was a private conference but in recent days, organizers released several videos from the conference talks, and some participants have been willing to discuss their experience.