We’re excited to kick off our 2026 CADA event series by welcoming Nick Srnicek to discuss his most recent book Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI.

Since the emergence of ChatGPT, generative AI has been heralded as a technology poised to revolutionize our world. But beyond the hype and hyperbole, who truly wields power over this transformative technology?

In Silicon Empires, Nick Srnicek explores the geopolitical economy of artificial intelligence, revealing how a handful of powerful corporations and states are engaged in a monumental struggle to control its future. Srnicek moves beyond the headlines to lay bare the elaborate strategies that these silicon empires - from tech giants to great powers - are deploying to capture the immense value of AI. This incisive analysis uncovers the deep-seated tensions between corporate ambitions and national interests, and the profound consequences of this new era of technological competition.

As the race for AI supremacy accelerates, Srnicek compellingly demonstrates that the decisions being made in the boardrooms of Silicon Valley and the halls of government will shape the distribution of wealth and power on a global scale for decades to come.

Speakers

Nick Srnicek is Senior Lecturer in Digital Economy at King's College London, and the author of Platform Capitalism.

Nick will be in conversation with Will Stronge, Chief Executive at the Autonomy Institute. There will be plenty of time allotted for an audience Q&A, so bring your queries and questions.

More info

You can buy Silicon Empires from Polity Press here.

You can watch an earlier discussion of some of the book’s key themes here.