Daniel Susskind

Daniel Susskind is a bestselling author, economist and leading authority on artificial intelligence, work and the future of the economy. He is the Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Senior Research Associate at Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics in AI and Research Professor at King’s College London. Daniel is also a member of the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work, placing him at the centre of conversations about how rapidly developing technologies could transform employment. His work provides organisations with an evidence-based perspective on navigating an increasingly AI-driven economy.

Daniel studied Economics and Management at the University of Oxford before becoming a Policy Adviser in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in 2009. He subsequently worked in the Policy Unit at 10 Downing Street and as a Senior Policy Adviser in the Cabinet Office. After serving as a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University, Daniel returned to Oxford for postgraduate study in economics. He became a Lecturer in Economics at Balliol College in 2014 and later a Fellow in Economics. His academic career has since expanded across Oxford, King’s College London, Stanford and Gresham College, where he became Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business in 2025.

Today, Daniel researches how technology, particularly AI, affects work, education and society. Alongside his roles at Gresham College, Stanford, Oxford and King’s College London, he joined the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work in 2026. His latest book, What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, was published in September 2026 and examines what people should learn and how education and careers should adapt as AI capabilities advance. Daniel also continues to deliver public lectures exploring automation, technological unemployment, creativity and the changing relationship between humans and intelligent machines.

Daniel’s previous books have established him as an influential commentator on technology and economics. Growth: A Reckoning was selected as one of President Barack Obama’s favourite books of 2024 and was runner-up for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year. A World Without Work was also runner-up for the award in 2020, while The Future of the Professions, co-authored with Richard Susskind, became a bestseller. His work combines economic research with practical questions about how societies, organisations and individuals can respond to technological change, while his first novel, The Basilisk Stare, is scheduled for publication in 2027.

Daniel is hired as a speaker for his ability to explain what advances in AI mean for jobs, skills, education and economic growth. Combining academic research with experience inside the British Government, he gives organisations a rigorous perspective on technological disruption and the choices businesses and policymakers face as increasingly capable systems enter the workplace.

Daniel’s TED Talk, 3 Myths About the Future of Work, has attracted more than 1.7 million views. He has also addressed the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos and delivers major public lectures through Gresham College, making him an experienced communicator on AI, automation and the future economy.

Here are some of the key milestones that define Daniel Susskind’s remarkable career:

  • 2026 – Published What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, examining education, skills and human potential in an AI-transformed world.
  • 2026 – Joined the UK Government’s Expert Panel on AI and the Future of Work, advising as government examines AI’s implications for the labour market.
  • 2025 – Became Mercers’ School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College, beginning a lecture series examining technology and the future of work.
  • 2025 – Became a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, extending his research into technology and economic transformation.
  • 2024 – Published Growth: A Reckoning, which was selected as one of President Barack Obama’s favourite books of the year and became an FT Business Book of the Year runner-up.
  • 2021 – Became a Senior Research Associate at Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics in AI, focusing his research on technology’s implications for society.
  • 2020 – Published A World Without Work, exploring how automation could transform employment and how society should respond.
  • 2015 – Co-authored the bestselling The Future of the Professions, examining how technology could transform professional work.
  • 2012 – Began working as a Senior Policy Adviser in the Cabinet Office following earlier positions in 10 Downing Street and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.
  • 2011 – Became a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University, further developing his academic background in economics.