THERE is a lot of gloom in the news at the moment, and it can sometimes feel as though every headline is competing to be more worrying than the last. That is why it felt refreshing and genuinely hopeful to spend three days at Anthropy, held at the Eden Project.

The event brings together leading businesses, thinkers and community voices from across the UK to explore how we can build a better future. Among the many discussions, one point in particular has stayed with me. A panellist speaking about young people and the debate around banning social media said: “If you take away online spaces from young people, you must give them a real world space to replace it.” It was a simple statement, but it captured something essential.

Between 2010 and 2024, around two thirds of council funded youth centres closed nationally. Against that backdrop, the announcement that Liskeard has been chosen as a location for a new Youth Hub is incredibly welcome. These hubs will offer young people access to training, careers advice and mental health support. All of these services can make a real difference to their confidence and future prospects.

As a Liberal Democrat, I believe young people should have the right spaces, opportunities and support to thrive, and that their voices must be genuinely heard.

We see the importance of this in local decision making as well. When larger retailers express interest in coming to a town, it often sparks a wave of online commentary. While there are always differing views, I am always mindful these businesses can be significant employers of young people. My own first job was in a supermarket, and it taught me skills that have stayed with me ever since. For many, these employers offer a first step into the world of work, financial independence and responsibility.

Another theme that came through strongly at Anthropy was the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for the future job market. One of the more surreal moments of the conference was meeting Ameca, an AI-powered humanoid robot developed here in Cornwall. It was fascinating, but it also served as a reminder of how quickly technology is advancing.

There are wider implications to consider. If AI replaces certain roles, governments will collect less tax from traditional employment. Some experts have suggested ideas such as a robot tax, where companies using AI for a significant proportion of their operations would pay an additional levy. The aim would be to protect both human employment and public revenue while still allowing innovation to progress.

AI is already woven into our daily lives, often without us realising it, and its capabilities are growing rapidly. There are extraordinary benefits, but also risks. We’ve all seen reports of scammers using AI to target vulnerable people, and our young people are growing up with this technology as a normal part of life.

As a society, we will need to decide what ethical boundaries we set and how to strike the balance between protecting people and encouraging creativity, entrepreneurship and progress.