Technology

Negotiating wicked problems with the power of AI

Cristobal Garcia Herrera — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:47:54 +0000

Negotiating wicked problems with the power of AI

Cristobal Garc… Wed, 22/07/2026 - 20:47

23 July 2026

Wicked problems, such as climate breakdown, geopolitical fragmentation and demographic transformation, do not yield to single-sector solutions. Demanding new coalitions, new models, and new levels of ambition, this annual symposium exists to address exactly that.

This year, attendees discovered that while wicked problems are AI-resistant, the technology could still play a part in accelerating their resolution.

The event, organised by Wicked Labs, a collaboration between �ԹϺ�� Business School and the Royal College of Art, was made up of five sessions:

Geopolitics, wars and new policy approaches;
The pace towards net-zero society;
Corporate venturing and AI;
The future of education, industries and governments; and
Industrial futures

Through these, attendees were exposed to four key practical insights:

Look at past tech revolutions to envision emerging futures;
Embrace the AI revolution and run continuous experiments in education, companies and governments;
Foster learning ecosystems to leverage collective intelligence; and
Train curious, emphatic and resilient leaders

A unique forum for addressing how organisations can adapt in the face of disruptions, such as AI, the Wicked Symposium has also become a community of people who refuse to accept that the world's hardest problems are unsolvable.

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The sixth Wicked Symposium gathered policymakers, investors, scholars, corporate innovation managers and experts to explore what happens to wicked problems when AI enters the room.

Fergus Burnett/�ԹϺ�� Business School

1 minute read

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

1 October 2026 News

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

28 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

24 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

28 September 2026

�ԹϺ�� Business School co-hosted the inaugural London Macro Policy Forum on 24 September 2026, bringing together some of the most influential voices in economic policy for a full day of debate at �ԹϺ��'s South Kensington Campus.

Organised by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), �ԹϺ�� Business School and Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, the Forum drew a full house of policymakers, academics, market participants and commentators. The programme ran from the immediate pressures of an energy price shock to the much longer arc of how artificial intelligence (AI) could reshape the economy over the coming decades.

The timing was sharp. With energy prices pushing inflation higher and gilt yields climbing, central banks on both sides of the Atlantic are weighing difficult choices. Alongside those near-term pressures, a more fundamental question is emerging: whether AI is already beginning to change how the economy grows, and how policymakers should prepare for what comes next.

Central bankers on uncertain ground

The day opened with an introduction from Professor David Aikman, Director of NIESR, and Krishna Murali of Santander, followed by a fireside chat between John Williams, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Sir Charles Bean of the London School of Economics. Their conversation explored how central banks can communicate their intentions when the economic outlook is so uncertain, and the limits of forward guidance in a volatile world.

That theme ran through the day. The Monetary Policy Outlook panel, chaired by Victoria Clarke of Santander, brought together Rob Burrows (M&G), Professor Swati Dhingra (London School of Economics; external member, Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee) and Gertjan Vlieghe (Millennium). The discussion centred on the current energy price shock and the path of inflation, and on what the Bank of England can realistically do in response. Panelists also weighed how two powerful forces, rising energy costs and a surge in AI investment, pull in different directions on how restrictive monetary policy needs to be.

In the afternoon, Sarah Breeden, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, returned to the same challenge in conversation with Professor Aikman. She said: “The larger and longer the shock, the more likely it is that we'll see the material second-round effects that policy needs to respond [to].”

Public finances under pressure

Two sessions turned the spotlight on the UK's public finances. The Gilt Markets, Quantitative Tightening and the Public Finances panel, chaired by Philip Aldrick of Bloomberg, heard from Freya Beamish (TS Lombard), Adam Dent (Santander) and Professor Paul Fisher (King's College London).

After lunch came what organisers affectionately described as the ‘doom-and-gloom’ session. The Fiscal Sustainability panel, chaired by Sam Fleming of the Financial Times, featured Peder Beck-Friis (PIMCO), Helen Miller (Institute for Fiscal Studies) and Professor David Miles, a member of the Budget Responsibility Committee at the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and Professor at �ԹϺ��.

Panellists broadly agreed that a fiscal framework so sensitive to individual forecasts makes little sense. Professor Miles warned that relying on a future productivity boom to ease pressure on the public finances was a risky strategy. He said: “Getting lucky isn't a plan.”

“If you walk into almost any department at �ԹϺ��, you can see how AI has revolutionised the progress of science itself. That is what makes AI different, and it's why I'm an optimist. I think AI will reshape the economy very profoundly over the next 10 years.”

Jonathan Haskel

Professor of Economics and Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility

From Left to right: The Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP, Professor Diane Coyle, James Benford and Professor Jonathan Haskel

The macroeconomics of AI

The Forum closed with its most forward-looking session. Chaired by Professor Jonathan Haskel, Professor of Economics at �ԹϺ�� Business School and Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility, The Macroeconomics of AI panel brought together four perspectives on the technology: Kanishka Narayan MP, Minister for Artificial Intelligence; Professor Dame Diane Coyle, Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge; James Benford, Deputy National Statistician at the Office for National Statistics (ONS); and Adam Cohen, Head of Economic Policy at OpenAI.

Between them, the panellists represented government, academia, official statistics and one of the companies building the technology, a combination that allowed the discussion to move between big-picture ambition and what the evidence shows today.

Mr Benford set out the view from the data. There are tentative signs of AI in the UK's growth figures, he said, with information and communications technology accounting for 40% of the 0.4% growth in the three months to July. Investment in digital infrastructure is running at around £11 billion a year, broadly matching the peak of the dotcom boom. Adoption remains at an early stage, however. Around a third of companies say they use AI, rising to 60% of large firms, but only 10% of those use it extensively. Public attitudes are cautious, with 38% of people believing the risks of AI outweigh the benefits, compared with 13% who see a net benefit.

He also highlighted how difficult it is to measure AI's impact on the labour market, which is being shaped at the same time by tax changes and monetary policy. The ONS has now published the first edition of a thematic account of AI to help build a clearer picture.

Questions from the floor pushed the panel further, including on whether the gains from AI will be shared fairly and what the technology could mean for inequality.

“That is what makes AI different”

Speaking after the panel, Professor Jonathan Haskel said he was optimistic about the scale of change ahead, and pointed to �ԹϺ�� itself as evidence.

He said: “If you walk into almost any department at �ԹϺ��, whether that's biology, maths or chemistry, you can see how AI has revolutionised the progress of science itself. That is what makes AI different, and it's why I'm an optimist. I think AI will reshape the economy very profoundly over the next 10 years.”

The challenge for policymakers is to stay close to how the technology is being used in practice. He said: “Central banking is an all-consuming job, and it's hard to make time to get out into the world. But when you see how firms are working with AI, and what the AI producers themselves are doing, it really opens your eyes. My advice to central bankers, and I'd give myself the same advice, is to get out and spend more time with the people using and producing AI.”

He added that universities have a vital role to play on both sides of the technology, from improving the algorithms themselves to studying how firms are putting AI to work and how that can unlock prosperity. For students, understanding the technology is only part of the picture: they will also need to understand the organisational changes firms must make to turn AI into new processes and products.

The Rt Hon Kanishka Narayan MP

The questions nobody is asking yet

Asked which policy question is being overlooked, Jonathan offered a striking provocation. There is a chance, he suggested, that AI-driven discoveries in health could make real progress against conditions such as cancer and the diseases of ageing. If society suddenly became much healthier and longer-lived, how would people spend that extra time, and what would it mean for families and communities? That, he said, is something policymakers should start thinking hard about.

Professor Coyle pointed to a more immediate gap: clarity over who is responsible when AI goes wrong. As AI agents take on more tasks, she argued, the legal framework must be clear about liability when poorly safeguarded systems make mistakes or cause harm.

She was frank about the range of possible futures. One scenario sees AI destroying jobs; another sees it becoming one of the most important technologies ever invented. The truth may lie somewhere in between.

For young people, she said, this is an exciting moment, because AI is a general-purpose technology that will shape the whole economy for decades. Her advice was clear: learn to use it well, but hold on to the skill it most threatens to erode. She said: “Don't let it do your thinking for you, because that's going to be your advantage over the technology.”

Convening the conversation

Reflecting on the day, Professor Haskel said the Forum showed the value of bringing different communities into the same room. He said: “What's special about the kind of forum �ԹϺ�� can convene is that we can bring together not only academics but people working in central banks, in government and in business at the sharp end. The questions and discussion today were very wide ranging, and that reflects the range of people �ԹϺ�� can bring together.”

As the UK navigates an energy shock, stretched public finances and a technology that could transform how the economy grows, the inaugural London Macro Policy Forum put �ԹϺ�� Business School at the centre of the conversation, connecting rigorous research with the people making decisions that shape the economy.

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The inaugural London Macro Policy Forum brought central bankers, policymakers, academics and industry leaders to �ԹϺ�� to tackle inflation, public debt and the economic promise and perils of artificial intelligence.

6 minute read

Book launch on Tencent and its rise to being a global tech giant

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Book launch on Tencent and its rise to being a global tech giant

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

1 October 2026 News

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

28 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

24 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

1 July 2026

To mark the publication of their new book, China's 'Everything Online' Company: The Unique Innovation Model of Tencent, Professor George Yip, Emeritus Professor of Marketing & Strategy at �ԹϺ�� Business School, and co-author Professor Xiaolan Fu, Professor of Technology and International Development at the University of Oxford, shared insights from their research into one of the world's leading technology companies.

Introduced by Lord Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat House of Lords spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology, the event traced Tencent's evolution from its early instant messaging platform QQ to the creation of WeChat and its vast digital ecosystem spanning social media, gaming, payments, cloud computing and AI.

Drawing on years of research, Professor Yip and Professor Fu explained that Tencent's success stems not only from technological excellence, but also from the way it encourages new ideas to emerge. Their book introduces the company's distinctive OCEAN framework: Openness, Coopetition, Empowerment, Autonomy and Attentiveness as a way of managing stakeholder needs. Together, these principles help Tencent operate more like a connected ecosystem than a traditional corporate hierarchy, encouraging experimentation while allowing new ideas to scale quickly.

“I hope people left with fresh insights into how Tencent combines technology, organisation and ecosystem thinking to create innovation at scale, and why those lessons matter well beyond China.”

Professor George Yip

Emeritus Professor of Marketing & Strategy

Reflecting on the event, Professor Yip said: "The enthusiasm and engagement from the audience showed just how much interest there is in understanding one of the world's most innovative companies. I hope people left with fresh insights into how Tencent combines technology, organisation and ecosystem thinking to create innovation at scale, and why those lessons matter well beyond China, even to the UK's next Prime Minister."

The evening concluded with a lively audience Q&A exploring the future of innovation, digital ecosystems and China's rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Professor Yip and Professor Fu's book offers fresh insights for business leaders, policymakers, researchers and students interested in innovation, digital platforms and the future of technology.

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�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomed business leaders, academics and alumni for the launch of a new book offering a rare insight into how Chinese technology giant Tencent became one of the world's most innovative companies.

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Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 10:15:24 +0000

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Lou Lee Mon, 14/04/2025 - 10:15

1 October 2026 News

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

28 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

24 September 2026 News

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

29 June 2026

Delivered in collaboration with General Atlantic, the event reflected the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment's (CCFI) growing role as a convenor of interdisciplinary expertise on climate risk and finance. Discussions explored how climate-related risks such as extreme weather are increasingly affecting economic stability, infrastructure, and investment decisions, and how organisations are adapting their approach to managing these risks over the long term.

The event opened with a keynote from Abigail Ng, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who highlighted climate resilience as a key part of protecting economic security. This was followed by a panel discussion chaired by Rowan Douglas CBE, Honorary Practice Fellow at CCFI, and featuring Kemal Erçevik (Bank of England), Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Paul Munday (S&P Global), Julian Wentzel (HSBC).

A central theme throughout the conversation was the need to integrate climate and nature risks into the core functioning of financial systems, rather than treating them separately. Speakers highlighted the importance of better data, shared standards, and clearer ways of measuring risk in order to improve decision-making across banking, insurance, regulation and investment.

“This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

Dr Enrico Biffis

Academic Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance

Rowan Douglas commented: “We now have our resilience priorities confirmed and an excellent community of financial-sector partners to mobilise with CCFI and �ԹϺ��’s School of Convergence Science. Our mission is to help retrain the invisible hand to value resilience and better protect exposed assets and communities in the years and decades ahead.”

In closing remarks, Dr Enrico Biffis, Director of CCFI and Professor of Actuarial Finance and Academic, said: “This is what CCFI is all about: a platform that brings together scholarly excellence and leading market participants to deliver effective solutions at scale.”

The event underscored CCFI’s role within �ԹϺ�� Business School as a bridge between academic research and industry practice, and highlighted ongoing collaboration with MAS and other partners to strengthen resilience in the face of growing climate challenges.

Panel speakers (from left to right): Natasha Fowlie (General Atlantic), Kemal Ercevik (Bank of England), Julian Wentzel (HSBC), Paul Munday (S&P Global), and Rowan Douglas (�ԹϺ�� Business School).

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The Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) brought together leaders from finance, insurance, law, technology, policy and academia for an event on Climate Resilience & Economic Security during London Climate Action Week (20-28 June).

Abigail Ng and Rowan Douglas at London Climate Action Week

2 minute read

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ�� Business School

Rebecca Pike — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 09:31:29 +0000

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ�� Business School

Rebecca Pike Tue, 04/03/2025 - 09:31

27 May 2026 Student blog

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What I didn’t expect from �ԹϺ��’s Full-Time MBA programme

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4 September 2025

Student blog

At �ԹϺ�� Business School, we believe that diversity plays an essential part in shaping the future of business and technology. For women working in the tech industry, building networks and supportive communities is especially valuable and is something that we actively encourage on our MBA programmes. In this blog, we hear from Sofia Baldomir, one of our Full-Time MBA Class of 2025 students, as she shares how her background in tech, combined with the opportunities available at �ԹϺ�� – from collaboration with �ԹϺ��’s STEM faculties to Career focused clubs – has helped her to grow as a leader in tech innovation.

Choosing �ԹϺ��: a natural next step in tech leadership

My experience in an AI consulting company deepened my interest in the role technology plays in driving business growth and social impact. I’ve seen firsthand how technology is reshaping industries, unlocking new opportunities and improving lives. But to make a bigger impact in the industry, I knew I needed to expand my leadership skills and broaden my understanding of business strategies across different industries.

When I decided to pursue a Full-Time MBA, I wanted to immerse myself in an environment that would help me stay at the forefront of this innovation. �ԹϺ�� Business School stood out to me because of its reputation for research and innovation, as well as its strong emphasis on STEM. The opportunity to engage with both tech experts and business leaders within the Business School’s dynamic environment felt like the perfect place to hone my skills.

Being awarded the Latin American Scholarship from �ԹϺ�� Business School and the Chevening Scholarship from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office from the UK government further reinforced that this was the right move for me. I’m extremely honoured to have been selected by these two prestigious awards and given the opportunity to contribute to the �ԹϺ�� community with knowledge from my background and experiences.

Learning from a diverse, collaborative community at �ԹϺ��

The collaboration between classmates has been excellent. Even before the programme officially began, many of us connected through Unibuddy. My Full-Time MBA cohort includes students from a wide range of nationalities, industries and professional backgrounds, which has led to dynamic conversations and new ways of thinking.

The collaborative spirit of the programme goes beyond the classroom too. In one professional development session, we were asked to present a goal and identify the types of people we needed to connect with in order to achieve it. I was touched by how quickly my classmates offered support; it was a clear indication of �ԹϺ��’s collaborative nature.

This was further reinforced by networks like the Women in SET (Science, Engineering & Technology), which allows students to connect with and advocate for women who have similar career ambitions in STEM.

And the wider �ԹϺ�� community – including peers from engineering, data science and AI – has offered further invaluable learning opportunities. Projects like the �ԹϺ�� Innovation Challenge allow students to immerse themselves in cutting-edge advancements that are shaping the future of business and helps to sharpen problem-solving skills and deepen understanding of tech applications across various industries.

Empowering future female leaders in the tech industry

I believe that self-knowledge and self-awareness are key to becoming a successful leader. And whilst the tech industry continues to be a male-dominated field, it is an area full of opportunity for women ready to lead and innovate.

Through �ԹϺ��’s LEADS initiative (Leadership, Ethics, Awareness, Diversity, Society), I’ve had the chance to gain a deeper understanding of my personal leadership style and how to inspire others effectively. Understanding our individual strengths and areas for development in terms of leadership capability is essential for excelling in the business environment.

Taking the lead through the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Club

A particularly rewarding experience has been serving as President of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Club. Career Clubs play a central role in the student experience at �ԹϺ�� and offer an opportunity to take on leadership roles and grow professionally outside of the classroom.

My involvement in the TMT Club has allowed me to connect with students from other programmes who also share a passion for technology and innovation. Collaborating on events that bring together peers and industry professionals has been a brilliant way to learn directly from leaders in the field. As a growing European tech hub, London also offers unparalleled access to innovative companies and cutting-edge developments that we can access through the Club.

Advice for future female tech leaders

For women working in the tech industry who may be about to embark on their MBA journey or are considering studying a Full-time MBA, my advice is simple: trust yourself.

The path you’ve taken in tech is valuable and your experiences are unique. The diversity and inclusivity of �ԹϺ�� Business School means that every perspective has value, so embrace what makes you stand out. An MBA can provide space to expand on those strengths and gain new perspectives.
Engage with alumni, student clubs and networks like the Women in SET and TMT Club – these resources are designed to help you grow, build confidence and connect with other students who will support you on your professional journey.
Collaborate with those around you. I’ve been amazed by the willingness of everyone to share their insights and experiences, and that’s a testament to the collaborative spirit of the Business School.

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The story behind AI community Hugging Face: Professor Erkko Autio co-authors article in The European Business Review

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Listen: The Standard’s Tech and Science Daily podcast interviews Dr Mark Kennedy about Chinese AI company DeepSeek

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ITV News interviews David Shrier about DeepSeek’s emerging dominance in the technology market

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The Times features �ԹϺ��’s new Venture Capital Fellowship

Evie Burrows-Taylor — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 12:05:17 +0000

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Decentralised Autonomous Organisations rethink the role of bosses. But who really has the power?

Ying-Ying Hsieh — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 12:14:02 +0000

Decentralised Autonomous Organisations rethink the role of bosses. But who really has the power?

Ying-Ying Hsieh Wed, 15/01/2025 - 12:14

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Article at a glance

Intended to democratise organisational governance, new research from Ying-Ying Hsieh, Phanish Puranam and Noam Gelman-Hofstadter suggests power in most DAOs is rather centralised.
Autonomy is often used to mean both automation and independence. DAOs promise decisions executed by code and freedom from external control, but most still rely on human judgement and third-party platforms.
DAOs stand as an important experiment in alternative organisational governance, offering lessons for conventional companies seeking to democratise decision making and decentralise power.

DAOs are a blockchain-based alternative to traditional governance structures. Rather than a conventional hierarchy of executives and managers, DAOs aim to give members a more direct role in decision making, with some decisions executed automatically by smart contracts.

The idea is that decisions are voted on, self-executed, and recorded on a blockchain, making them visible to all members to ensure transparency and accountability at scale. This in turn reduces bureaucracy and administrative overheads, making the organisation more democratic, innovative and agile.

Take MakerDAO as an example. In March 2020, a crash triggered by COVID-19 left the organisation with serious liquidity issues. Rather than executives deciding what to do, a novel solution that surfaced informally in a community channel was debated by risk assessors, smart contract code reviewers and ordinary members, and was then approved through a formal vote.

But has the DAO model really resulted in power being shared more democratically across the board? Our research, the largest systematic empirical examination of DAOs to-date, addresses this question.

Surprisingly centralised

We found that more than 80 per cent of voting rights in the average DAO are controlled by less than 1 per cent of addresses (and multiple addresses may be controlled by single members). That means power is concentrated within a small group, though unlike in a conventional firm, this emerges through token ownership and low turnout rather than deliberate structure.

Another factor is the gap between membership and participation. We observed that the average DAO has 5,024 members, but only 709 voters and 10 proposers, with over half of all proposals receiving fewer than 12 votes. While everybody is entitled to vote, having lots of members does not necessarily mean lots of people have a meaningful say.

“While everybody is entitled to vote, having lots of members does not necessarily mean lots of people have a meaningful say.”

Whales and delegates

One key issue is the existence of ‘whales’ and ‘delegates’, i.e. those who control a large number of voting tokens. Whales hold their tokens outright, and are free to vote however they like, including on their own proposals. Delegates, by contrast, are granted voting power on behalf of other members, but this power is conditional: they can lose their delegate status if they vote against the wishes of those they represent

This distinction matters. Whales pose a greater threat to true decentralisation than delegates, because their unconditional voting power answers to nobody but themselves. And because holdings are visible on the blockchain, the position of whales may be known beforehand, which can make the result of a vote feel like a foregone conclusion. Delegates, despite holding real voting weight, rarely use it unilaterally, as going against their delegators’ wishes risks their position.

Whales can also buy more tokens to sway contested decisions. In many cases, a large share of voting tokens are locked in vesting arrangements held by founders and early investors – in the average DAO, vesting tokens equal 38 per cent of liquid holdings. When these are unlocked, voting power can be further concentrated, exacerbating the issue.

Autonomy and algorithmic governance

There is a question as to how autonomous DAOs really are. ‘Autonomy’ can mean two different things: automation, i.e. decisions executed without human involvement, and independence, i.e. freedom from outside control.

Most DAOs attempt both, but often achieve neither. We found that only around 8 per cent use on-chain governance, where votes are recorded and executed automatically via blockchain. The rest rely on off-chain voting through third-party platforms, with humans viewing results and carrying out decisions – the opposite of blockchain automation, though not completely independent of all oversight.

This offers a wider lesson beyond DAOs. It is tempting to view the trend of businesses increasingly handing decisions to AI tools as a form of self-sufficiency, in which processes run themselves free of human oversight. But if DAOs are any guide, automating decisions does not bring independence – it substitutes reliance on people for reliance on digital infrastructure and the third parties who run it.

What businesses can learn

Ultimately, our evidence suggests that DAOs deviate from the decentralised, autonomous ideal organisation design they were built around. However, this is not to say that they fail as an innovation. Rather, they stand as an important experiment in alternative organisational governance. They are best understood as a distinct organisational form in their own right – something closer to a financialised community or an algorithmic commons than either a corporation or a traditional community.

Conventional companies can also borrow elements of the DAO model, experimenting with giving employees, customers and other stakeholders a more direct voice in decision making. The MakerDAO example shows how this can work in practice – collective decisions settled through proposing and voting – even under urgent conditions that would normally require centralised, top-down control.

This article draws on findings from “Neither community nor corporation? A deeper look at decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)” by Dr Ying-Ying Hsieh (�ԹϺ�� Business School), Professor Phanish Puranam (INSEAD) and Noam Gelman-Hofstadte (DeepDAO Ventures Ltd), published In Industrial and Corporate Change.

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Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) promised an alternative to traditional hierarchies, but truly distributing power within them has proved more nuanced than it first appeared.

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Negotiating wicked problems with the power of AI

Negotiating wicked problems with the power of AI

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The sixth Wicked Symposium gathered policymakers, investors, scholars, corporate innovation managers and experts to explore what happens to wicked problems when AI enters the room.

�ԹϺ��� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ��� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

�ԹϺ��� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ��� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

Central bankers on uncertain ground

Public finances under pressure

The macroeconomics of AI

“That is what makes AI different”

The questions nobody is asking yet

Convening the conversation

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The inaugural London Macro Policy Forum brought central bankers, policymakers, academics and industry leaders to �ԹϺ��� to tackle inflation, public debt and the economic promise and perils of artificial intelligence.

Book launch on Tencent and its rise to being a global tech giant

Book launch on Tencent and its rise to being a global tech giant

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

�ԹϺ��� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ��� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

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�ԹϺ��� Business School welcomed business leaders, academics and alumni for the launch of a new book offering a rare insight into how Chinese technology giant Tencent became one of the world's most innovative companies.

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Climate resilience in focus at London Climate Action Week

Prof. Franco Sassi quoted in Parliament Politics

�ԹϺ��� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ��� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

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The Centre for Climate Finance and Investment (CCFI) brought together leaders from finance, insurance, law, technology, policy and academia for an event on Climate Resilience & Economic Security during London Climate Action Week (20-28 June).

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ��� Business School

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ��� Business School

The ROI of an �ԹϺ��� MBA: what I learned from the Chile Global Experience Week

What I didn’t expect from �ԹϺ���’s Full-Time MBA programme

From Bilaspur, India to London: building my global business outlook at �ԹϺ��� Business School

Choosing �ԹϺ���: a natural next step in tech leadership

Learning from a diverse, collaborative community at �ԹϺ���

Empowering future female leaders in the tech industry

Taking the lead through the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Club

Advice for future female tech leaders

Discover more about our programme

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My journey from AI and Fintech to an MBA

The story behind AI community Hugging Face: Professor Erkko Autio co-authors article in The European Business Review

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Listen: The Standard’s Tech and Science Daily podcast interviews Dr Mark Kennedy about Chinese AI company DeepSeek

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ITV News interviews David Shrier about DeepSeek’s emerging dominance in the technology market

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The Times features �ԹϺ���’s new Venture Capital Fellowship

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Decentralised Autonomous Organisations rethink the role of bosses. But who really has the power?

Decentralised Autonomous Organisations rethink the role of bosses. But who really has the power?

More blogs

How to market sustainability that actually converts

Decentralised Autonomous Organisations rethink the role of bosses. But who really has the power?

Do big bonuses really affect employee behaviour?

Article at a glance

Intended to democratise organisational governance, new research from Ying-Ying Hsieh, Phanish Puranam and Noam Gelman-Hofstadter suggests power in most DAOs is rather centralised.

Autonomy is often used to mean both automation and independence. DAOs promise decisions executed by code and freedom from external control, but most still rely on human judgement and third-party platforms.

DAOs stand as an important experiment in alternative organisational governance, offering lessons for conventional companies seeking to democratise decision making and decentralise power.

Surprisingly centralised

Whales and delegates

Autonomy and algorithmic governance

What businesses can learn

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Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) promised an alternative to traditional hierarchies, but truly distributing power within them has proved more nuanced than it first appeared.

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

The inaugural London Macro Policy Forum brought central bankers, policymakers, academics and industry leaders to �ԹϺ�� to tackle inflation, public debt and the economic promise and perils of artificial intelligence.

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomed business leaders, academics and alumni for the launch of a new book offering a rare insight into how Chinese technology giant Tencent became one of the world's most innovative companies.

�ԹϺ�� hosts London Macro Policy Forum, putting AI in the economic spotlight

�ԹϺ�� Business School welcomes new faculty for 2026–27

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ�� Business School

Women in tech: why I chose the Full-Time MBA at �ԹϺ�� Business School

The ROI of an �ԹϺ�� MBA: what I learned from the Chile Global Experience Week

What I didn’t expect from �ԹϺ��’s Full-Time MBA programme

From Bilaspur, India to London: building my global business outlook at �ԹϺ�� Business School

Choosing �ԹϺ��: a natural next step in tech leadership

Learning from a diverse, collaborative community at �ԹϺ��

The Times features �ԹϺ��’s new Venture Capital Fellowship