Book launch: The Rulers

About this talk:

Big Tech companies are not merely large corporations; they are political actors and economic planners. Their deep pockets and control over social media and personal data are only the surface of what truly explains their dominance. As explains, their power lies in their dominance over today’s control technologies deployed within and beyond the tech sector. Digital technologies are produced, exchanged and consumed on their clouds offering them a unique panopticon of the global economy. Their power grows as artificial intelligence becomes widely adopted and emerges as the mainstream method of invention and creation, one that undermines people’s capacity to think. Combining 112 interviews at the world’s largest firms with data on corporate venture capital, acquisitions, AI conference presentations and patents, Cecilia Rikap shows that even the world’s largest corporations bow to these cloud giants. concludes by exploring possibilities and strategies for expanding digital sovereignty — not only as an alternative to Big Tech’s ruling power but also as an international and democratic strategy aimed at putting technology at the service of people and the planet.

Meet the panel:

• Chair: | PhD Student at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• | Head of Research and Associate Professor in Economics at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• | Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London, and Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP)
• | Senior Lecturer in Digital Economy at the King’s College London
• | Senior Economics Commentator, Guardian

If you have any queries around access, please get in touch with a member of the team ([email protected]).