In March 2026, over 2000 of the UK’s ‘forward-thinkers’ gathered at the Eden Project for the 4th annual Anthropy conference. First running in 2022, the event was founded by John O’Brien, a British Army Officer-turned business leader. The conference declares itself the UK’s answer to Davos, and a hub for the national movement creating a successful, sustainable, and equitable society. So why does the guestlist include a Reform UK MP, a genocide-funding bank, and an AI defence start-up?

Tickets start at £750, with the option to upgrade to £1200 for exclusive membership benefits. Corporations can also become members, with tiered options ranging from £10k-£70k to be part of the movement ‘committed to inspiring a better Britain’.

Host venue The Eden Project is a founding partner of Anthropy, and it founders and CEO contributed to shaping the conversation. The attraction has faced difficulty recently, with a 10% reduction in visitors from 2024/25, and 75 people made redundant in last year. In a press release, Andy Jasper, CEO of the Eden Project stated that “For 25 years, our charity has brought people together to imagine solutions, challenge assumptions and explore how we can live more harmoniously with each other and the planet. Anthropy and Eden share a deeply aligned purpose: to inspire connection, responsibility and positive change.”

Artificially intelligent

AI was a key topic for speakers at Anthropy 2026, with one of many discussions on the industry hosted by James Kidner. Whilst listed under his role at Author Insights, a promotion and networking firm, Kidner’s day job is Director of Partnerships for AI defence start-up, Rebellion Defense. The company has contracts with the US Navy to ‘enhance target recognition’. It is a key contractor for ‘Project Overmatch’, a defence initiative which uses AI for communications between various aircraft, ships, and drones during operations. James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, sat on the contractor’s Board of Directors whilst it was based in the UK, acting in that role as a public proponent of AI and its use in the armed forces. The world’s most powerful militaries are taking advantage of AI development, with Rebellion’s CEO Ben Fitzgerald, appointed in January of 2024, stating that ‘democracy is underwritten by military strength and capability’. 

AI is a key component of the transformation of the UK’s defence plan in particular, outlined in the Strategic Defence Review 2025. From assisted targeting and logistics to recruitment, AI is set to be integrated into every aspect of UK military operations. And whilst the development of controversial Lethal Automated Weapons (LAWS) is prohibited in the UK on ethical grounds, there is no such restriction in the US. Companies developing AI technology for the armed forces are occupying increasingly prominent roles in conferences and events such as Anthropy, seeking to promote their public image in the face of growing crutiny from the media.

Bankrolling genocide

Present also was BNP Paripas, a French bank that, in October 2025, was found guilty of financing crimes against humanity in Sudan, the first ever jury verdict against a bank for funding genocide. The bank has also faced scrutiny for its role in financing the Israeli State and allegedly complicity in IDF war crimes.

In an official statement released in July 2025, the bank claimed it was ‘not funding the conflict’ and declared it was calling for a diplomatic resolution. Yet from 2021-2023, Paribas were the top European financier of the weapons industry arming the Israeli military, supplying loans of over $410 million to arms companies such as Leonardo. At the Eden Project, they hosted a session exploring how the UK’s “industrial roadmap can be turned into a reality”.

Reforming politics

Amongst a number of MPs speaking at the event this year was Reform’s Danny Kruger. Kruger has consistently disparaged LGBT+ people both in public speeches and through his voting record. Whilst he initially expressed some regret in leaving the Conservative Party in September 2025, upon his defection he was celebrated by far-right politician Richard Tice as “a principled voice for Britain’s future.” In 2023, Kruger called on the government to overrule international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, in order to expel asylum seekers to Rwanda. Kruger also stated in 2025 that “we need an end to the madness of net zero”, which draws into question his presence at a conference centred on sustainability.

Indeed, all of these examples are questionable when in view of the conference’s aims. Danny Kruger wasn’t alone as an elected official; minister for Safeguarding and VAWG Jess Phillips spoke in a panel discussion on ending violence against women and girls. But Kruger’s presence as a speaker points to the character of the conference, as Reform’s policy and rhetoric contradict the fundamental aims and undermine the legitimacy of an event like Anthropy.

Anthropy is not exceptional, but an example of a broader trend. In its framing of solutions for the polycrisis, the event is fundamentally neoliberal and technocratic, despite the veneer of sustainability and social progress. Attendees of Anthropy may believe that they are making real change for communities across Britain, but then why are they doing so alongside arms developers, Reform UK MPs, and genocide-funding banks?

Featured image via: Anthropy