The geopolitics and macrofinance of AI: a race between the US and China
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
6:30 pm
- Venue
- SOAS Gallery Lecture Theatre and Cloisters, Paul Webley Wing
- Event type
- Lecture
About this event
We are delighted to invite you to the College of Social Sciences Annual Alumni Lecture and Reception on Tuesday 17 November 2026.
Join fellow alumni, students and colleagues for an evening of discussion, networking and insight as Professor Daniela Gabor explores one of the defining political and economic questions of our time in her lecture:
The Geopolitics and Macrofinance of AI: A Race Between the US and China
The AI race between China and the US is heating up. Behind it lie two competing models of industrial policy: China’s state-led industrial/credit policy vs US capital-led industrial derisking organized through a Big Tech-Big Finance nexus and promoted through US geopolitical alliances like Pax Silica. Can the US derisking state outcompete China’s developmental state? How will the AI race impact the ongoing crisis of US hegemony, especially as the vulnerabilities of the US AI investment bubble intensify? What are the developmental implications, and opportunities, for Global South countries pursuing AI sovereignty?
Professor Gabor will examine the competing economic and financial models shaping this race, the implications for global power and development, and what it means for countries seeking to build their own technological futures.
The event will be introduced by Professor Carlos Oya, Acting Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Professor of Political Economy of Development.
Registration
This event is free to attend, but registration is required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Image credit: issaronow via Adobe Stock
About the speakers
Daniela Gabor is is Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London.
She studies central banks, shadow money, just transitions and green industrial policies through a critical macrofinance lens.
Daniela has served as an expert advisor for the European Parliament, the G20 under the Brazil Presidency, the United Nations 4th Financing for Development Agenda, civil society organisations and central banks. She is currently running two funded projects, REDCAJU (Rethinking Developmentalism for Climate and Social Justice) with Ndongo Samba Sylla, IDEAS Network Africa, and REDEF (Redesigning Finance for Climate Justice – a Big Green State approach).
At SOAS, she is teaching International Finance, Macroeconomics and Global Economic Policy Analysis.
Carlos Oya is Professor of Political Economy of Development at SOAS University of London.
He focuses on three main research areas: political economy of development and economic transformation; agrarian change and development; labour relations, global production, and labour markets. He also has a strong interest and expertise in research methodology and survey design.
He worked for several years in government in Mozambique (Ministry of Planning and Finance), contributing to national poverty eradication strategies and economic development planning. He has provided technical advice and conducted research and impact evaluations for a range of international organisations, including the ILO, the World Bank, FAO and UNDP; government institutions, NGOs and various research think tanks.
