NONTRIVIAL PURSUITS: A PUB QUIZ FOR THE AI AGE
Knowing things scores you nothing. Come anyway.
Every pub quiz you've ever been to has the same rule. Phones away.
We're breaking it. On purpose. Bring yours.
When every phone in the room holds every answer, a quiz about who remembers the answer is a quiz about nothing. So we built a different one.
Knowing things scores you zero on Thursday. Genuinely zero. What scores is taste, nerve, judgment, a good lie well told, and knowing exactly what you don't know — which, it turns out, is worth more points than knowing it.
Which means the good news: you cannot be underqualified for this. If you've ever sat out a pub quiz because you were worried you'd be the weak link, this is the one for you. The weak link is going to be an AI, and we've made sure of it.
Because there's one more contestant. It's read the entire internet, it doesn't get tired, and it's going on the scoreboard with everyone else. It thinks it's going to win. It always thinks it's going to win.
That's rather the problem with it, and on Thursday it becomes your scoring opportunity.
Who's running this
Kes Sampanthar, who has spent thirty years studying how thinking works, and Scott Wolfson, an Emmy-winning storyteller. One of them is British, which is how we've decided this is allowed.
Who's judging you
Criteria transparent, absolute, and slightly unfair.
Hasan Kubba — author of The Unfair Advantage, UK Business Book of the Year
Jason Vu Nguyen — founder of Human Behaviour AI, former professional poker player
Sakib Ahmed — founder of Simply Smashed, London's highest-rated burger
Luna Al-kaisy — comedy writer, and the reason your funny answer had better actually be funny
Mustafa Khan — founder of Draper, betting his business on the one thing AI can't fake: taste
Ten pounds gets you in, food included — so come hungry.
The practical bit
📅 Thursday 13 August
🕔 Doors 17:00 · Games from 17:30 · Done by 20:00
📍 The Dugout at Belushi's, London Bridge
🎟️ £10 · 60 seats · 18+ yrs old, licensed venue
👥 Come as a team of four to six, or come alone and we'll put you on one
Nobody anywhere has played this before. You'd be the first room on earth. No pressure.
Think. Prompt. Check.
Nontrivial Pursuits is made by Centaurian AI.