Daniel Susskind

Biography

Daniel Susskind is a bestselling writer, academic and economist exploring the impact of technology, and in particular artificial intelligence, on work and society. From the effects of AI on white collar careers to education and the potential to reshape whole industries and economies, he issues both warnings over inaction and ideas for a stable, prosperous future.

The Mercers' School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, Daniel holds research positions at Stanford University's Digital Economy Lab, Oxford University's Institute for Ethics in AI, and King's College London. He is also a member of the UK Government's Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work.

Daniel’s books cover a range of areas touching on policy, work and economics. In What Should My Children Do? - How to Flourish in the Age of AI, he seeks out the answers to what parents and educators around the world are asking: how do we prepare the next generation for a future that is unforeseeable, but almost certainly radically different to today. His title, Growth: A Reckoning, was selected by President Obama as one of his Favourite Books of 2024 and was a runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year. Looking at the past, present and future, the book provides a wide-ranging look at economic growth, challenging assumptions, highlighting ignored ideas, and advocating a more values-led approach to growth and prosperity. His other titles including A World Without Work, described by The New York Times as "required reading for any potential presidential candidate thinking about the economy of the future", and, as co-author with his father Richard, The Future of the Professions, which examines the impact of automation on a sector traditionally seen as immune from it. In this last title, Daniel’s economic and policy work combine with Richard’s long-standing work in law and technology to explore issues from the ownership of knowledge and expertise to ethics and social impact.

Previously, Daniel held senior policy advisor roles in government. He worked as a policy advisor in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, as a policy analyst in the Policy Unit in Number 10 Downing Street, and as a senior policy advisor in the Cabinet Office. 

Daniel explores the effects of technology on work, society and the economy. With both caution and hope, he explores the potential of a world where work is no longer the centre of individual’s lives, and the pressure on policymakers to avoid the real risks of inequality and social fragmentation. He offers a balance of threats and opportunities, and ideas of how to create a positive, fair future. From medical diagnosis and treatment to creating and enforcing legal documents, he compares the superiority and flaws of AI capabilities over human judgment, and considers how to avoid concentrating power and ensure broad benefits.