Julian Jacobs

Julian Jacobs is a DPhil/PhD student specialising in comparative political economy. His research areas of focus include artificial intelligence, the political implications of technological shocks, inequality, debt, and polarisation.

He is currently studying the relationship between disruptive digital technology shocks and rates of household indebtedness in the United States as well as the question of 'who can be retrained' in an age of digitally-enabled automation and task substitution. His previous work looked at the relationship between technological disruption and socio-political views, with a focus on populism, class dealignment, and polarisation.

He is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, through which he pursued research into comparative AI governance and political economy.

Outside of academia, he has previously worked for the Office of Barack Obama, The Brookings Institution, the Center for AI Safety, OMFIF, and University College London. And his writing and research have previously been featured in the New York Times, Financial Times, Vox, Politico, Bloomberg, and Jacobin.

Prior to joining the Oxford DPIR, he received his MSc in Political Science and Political Economy from The London School of Economics. He received his BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Brown University.