树莓派（Raspberry Pi）创办人埃本·厄普顿（Eben Upton）在午餐访谈中回顾了他的创业与教育历程。身为前剑桥大学学者与自称的「全能极客」，厄普顿因感念早期平价电脑对其世代的启蒙，并痛心于后续年轻人缺乏亲民的硬体平台，于2008年创立树莓派基金会，推出售价仅25英镑的微型电脑以普及程式教育。如今该公司已在伦敦证交所成功上市且股价表现亮眼，其慈善基金会亦利用庞大收益在全球推广程式俱乐部并培训数十万名教师。
针对当前人工智慧热潮，厄普顿展现出与矽谷狂热截然不同的怀疑与务实态度。他反对「AI时代学写程式已过时」的论点，强调编程是现代不可或缺的数位素养与思维训练；同时，他质疑AI能迅速攀升至全知全能的「超级智能」，认为其效能曲线终将趋于平缓，甚至受限于人类智慧渐近线。在他看来，随著模型日益轻量化，边缘计算对高成本GPU的依赖将转移至平价CPU，这为树莓派广泛应用于工业、医疗与农业创造了巨大契机。
在国际地缘政治与制造业版图上，厄普顿更忧虑政治威权与科技资本的再度勾结，而非科幻式的毁灭性AI机器。访谈最后，他带领记者参观了位于南威尔斯的索尼代工厂，展示高度自动化的机器人生产线——每3.142秒即可制造一片树莓派主机板。这不仅打破了西方无法在高产量电子制造领域与中国竞争的迷思，同时成功将就业机会与实体制造根留英国本土，体现了商业获利、社会使命与工程实践的平衡。
In a lunch interview, Eben Upton, the founder of Raspberry Pi, reflected on his entrepreneurial journey and educational mission. As a former Cambridge academic and self-described 'omni-geek,' Upton was inspired by early home computing and disheartened by the decline in accessible hardware for the next generation, prompting him to establish the Raspberry Pi Foundation in 2008 to produce £25 microcomputers. Today, Raspberry Pi is a successful London-listed company whose substantial commercial proceeds continue to empower its charitable foundation to run global coding clubs and train hundreds of thousands of educators.
Addressing the current AI boom, Upton voiced a grounded skepticism that sharply diverges from Silicon Valley's messianic hype. He dismissed the notion that learning to code is futile in the age of AI, insisting that programming remains an essential modern literacy to avoid manipulation by technology. Furthermore, Upton argued that AI development will follow an S-curve and hit an asymptote rather than racing toward god-like superintelligence, suggesting that more efficient edge models will soon rely on affordable CPUs produced by companies like Raspberry Pi rather than exorbitant GPUs.
Regarding broader technological impacts, Upton expressed greater fear over technology-enabled authoritarianism recoupling wealth and political power than sci-fi existential doom scenarios. Concluding with a visit to the Sony manufacturing plant in South Wales, he showcased advanced robotic assembly lines capable of turning out a board every 3.142 seconds. This demonstrated that domestic advanced automation can effectively compete with Chinese manufacturing at scale, underscoring his success in sustaining British jobs while bridging commercial viability and social purpose.