Nick Srnicek
Nick Srnicek is an Associate Professor in Digital Economy at Kings College London. Prior to joining King’s in 2017, he previously taught at University of Westminster, University of West London, UCL, and City, University of London. Dr Srnicek obtained his BA in Psychology and Philosophy and his MA in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, and his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
He has been awarded an honorary professorship from the University of Buenos Aires, is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and was an editor of Millennium: Journal of International Studies. He is on the Board of Advisors for the Autonomy Institute, as well as a number of research projects. He is also an editorial board member for New Formations and for Revista Conexões, and was an editorial advisory board member for the SAGE Handbook on Digital Labour.
Dr Srnicek’s research focuses on the digital economy, artificial intelligence, anti-work politics, and postcapitalist futures. His first book (with Alex Williams), Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work was published in 2015 by Verso and has been translated into 10 different languages. His second book, Platform Capitalism, was published in 2016 by Polity and was translated into 15 languages. In 2023, Verso published his third book (with Helen Hester), After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time, which was named book of the week by The Sunday Times and has been translated into 9 languages. His latest book, Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI was published in 2025 by Polity. In addition, he has written or co-written more than 30 academic articles and book chapters for a variety of publications, as well as editing two collections.
Dr Srnicek has contributed to reports for the European Parliament and the UN Trade and Development. He has been invited to present for the UK House of Commons, a High-Level Dialogue for UNCTAD, and for numerous political parties around the world.
Dr Srnicek’s work has been discussed in a variety of media including The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and Libération. He has given more than 200 public talks at places around the world, such as Glastonbury, Tate Britain, Centre Pompidou, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and has made a number of media appearances. His research has also been incorporated into art and design exhibitions across the globe, been taken up by political parties, and been the focus of political debates in a number of countries.
Topics
Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI
Beyond the endless hype of artificial intelligence capabilities lies a fierce, high-stakes struggle to construct the next global empire. This talk unpacks the corporate and geopolitical rivalries dictating the future of the AI stack. By framing AI as a general-purpose technology, it demonstrates the distinct, expansionary strategies tech giants are deploying to capture immense value. Furthermore, it reveals how this relentless corporate competition is inextricably linked to the escalating superpower rivalry between the United States and China. This presentation offers a critical new framework for understanding the strategic landscape and powerful forces shaping our digital future.
Rethinking AI Sovereignty
Nations worldwide are racing to achieve AI sovereignty to avoid technological dependence. However, blindly mimicking the American "One Big Model" approach is a costly trap that merely funnels sovereign investments back to US tech giants. In this talk, discover why true digital independence requires abandoning the centralized computing arms race. Instead, sustainable sovereignty lies in alternative paths: deploying smaller, specialized models, building open and interoperable scaffolding, and focusing on decentralized infrastructure. Through this talk, explore how we can reject narrow nationalism and collaboratively build a global, democratic AI ecosystem.
AI Agents and Geoeconomics
The era of simple AI chatbots is over, replaced by autonomous agents that pursue complex, multi-step goals on our behalf. But what happens when these powerful new entities collide with global politics? This talk reveals how AI agents are radically transforming geoeconomic strategy and national vulnerability. Discover how the shift toward inference compute is upending export controls, and why these systems will deeply amplify "panopticon" surveillance risks and critical "chokepoint" dependencies worldwide. The talk explores how millions of interconnected AI agents will forge entirely new international inequalities and redefine the future of digital sovereignty.
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