Yamuna Hassan Wins Best Speaker Award at Oxford, Advocates for Human Ability Over AI

LONDON: Young speaker Yamuna Hassan won the “Best Proposition Speaker” award at an Oxford University debate, addressing a key challenge of the AI era. Following her win, the Lord Mayor of Oxford personally presented her with the award amid enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Hassan argued against the growing trend of outsourcing genuine creative work to generative AI. She compared creativity to a muscle that grows stronger through exercise and intellectual effort, warning that over-reliance on automated tools risks “cognitive atrophy.” She cautioned that routine automation could eventually erode people’s ability to carry out everyday tasks independently. Calling creativity “the heartbeat of civilization,” she said protecting human intelligence is inseparable from protecting humanity itself.
The win adds to Hassan’s growing list of honours. She has previously received the UN Changemaker Award 2026, Best Gen Z Podcast Award at Fashion Factor Dubai 2026, Best Gen Z Award 2025 from Entrepreneur Middle East, Gen Z Writer of the Year at the India International Influencer Awards 2025, and Best International Writer at the Gulf Achievers Awards 2025. Her work has also been covered by Entrepreneur Middle East, Khaleej Times, Gulf News and PAPER magazine.
Hassan urged her peers to invest in knowledge, take up new pursuits and build real expertise rather than relying on AI-generated shortcuts, encouraging Gen Z to master modern tools while staying rooted in curiosity and original thought.