The future on screen · Channel 4
Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future: what the evidence says about AI, robots and being human
What the series covers, where its subjects stand on the 311 Starburst and what leaders should take from it.
What it covers
About the series
A two-part Channel 4 series in which artist Sir Grayson Perry visits Silicon Valley to explore how AI and robotics will shape the future and what they mean for being human. He meets idealists, sceptics and technology founders, and makes an artwork about the journey. Episode 1 was first shown on 15 April 2026 and episode 2 on 22 April 2026; Swan Films made it.
- Broadcaster
- Channel 4
- Made by
- Swan Films
- First shown
- 15 April 2026 (Channel 4)
- Episodes
- 2
What the evidence says
Where AI, robots and being human stands in 2026
The 311 Starburst maps when each emerging technology and trend is expected to reach wide use. These are the entries that match this subject, with their status today.
- Technology · RoboticsGeneral Purpose Robots
General purpose robots are meant to do many jobs. They would learn new tasks by watching people and trying things, not by being coded for one job.
- Expected wide use
- 2039
- Status in 2026
- Watch
- Readiness
- TRL 6 of 9
- Technology · IntelligenceArtificial General Intelligence
Artificial general intelligence is a machine that could do any thinking task a person can. It does not exist yet, and experts disagree on when it might.
- Expected wide use
- 2033
- Status in 2026
- Explore
- Readiness
- TRL 3 of 9
- Technology · IntelligenceAgentic Artificial Intelligence
Agentic AI describes AI systems that can decide and act on their own to reach a goal. They change what they do as they go and need little human help.
- Expected wide use
- 2028
- Status in 2026
- Prepare
- Readiness
- TRL 8 of 9
- Trend · TechnologicalArtificial Intelligence
- Expected wide use
- 2024
- Status in 2026
- Act now
- Trend · TechnologicalRobotics
- Expected wide use
- 2030
- Status in 2026
- Prepare
- Trend · SocietalJob Automation
- Expected wide use
- 2027
- Status in 2026
- Act now
Source: the 311 Starburst, researched by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit (data built 2026-10-28). Status rings: Act now means wide use by 2027, Prepare 2028 to 2030, Explore 2031 to 2035, Watch 2036 or later. Explore the Starburst Centre.
311 analysis
What leaders should take from it
- Silicon Valley's view of the future is one view; test it against the evidence and against your own customers and staff.
- Agentic AI is close, general-purpose robots are further away: plan for software that acts this decade and physical robots later.
- The human questions (purpose, trust, work) decide adoption as much as the technology does; put them in your strategy.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
Next steps
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Answers
Common questions
How many episodes of Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future are there?
Two, first shown on Channel 4 on 15 and 22 April 2026, each 47 minutes.
Who made Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future?
Swan Films made it for Channel 4.
Related
Read more from the 311 Institute
The State of AI · Future of Work: One Person, 10,000 Hands · More programmes about the future