Sam Gilbert is an entrepreneur and researcher exploring the economic and policy implications of digital technologies.
He was Employee No.1 and Chief Marketing Officer at the fintech “unicorn” ManyPets. Previously, he was Head of Strategy and Development at Experian, and Head of Consumer Finance at Santander. He holds an MPhil with distinction in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge, and a BA with first class honours in Modern History and English from the University of Oxford.
Research interests
- The policy implications of generative AI
- The political legitimacy of big tech companies (particularly Meta)
Key publications
“Generative AI and Scientific Creativity” with Dr Steven Wooding, Villum Fonden, 2026
“Good surveillance? Tech funded with targeted ads isn’t all peril for the global south“, Intermedia, 2024
“Social Media and Mass Empowerment: Towards a Theory of Digital Legitimacy” with Dr Amanda R. Greene, Journal of Moral Philosophy, 2024
“Policy brief: Generative AI” with Dr Ann Kristin Glenster (Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy / Bennett Institute/ ai@cam, 2023)
“Policy brief: The Online Safety Bill” with Professor Ross Anderson (Bennett Institute, 2022)
“The Political Economy of the Metaverse” (IFRI, 2022)
“Policy brief: Crypto, web3 and the Metaverse” (Bennett Institute, 2022)
“Subjective well-being during the 2020–21 global coronavirus pandemic: Evidence from high frequency time series data” with Dr Roberto Foa and Dr Mark Fabian (PloS One, 2022)
Good Data: An Optimist’s Guide to Our Digital Future (Hachette, April 2021)
“Data Ethics and Multinational Technology Companies” (with Professor Peter Williamson), UK-China Global Issues Dialogue Centre, July 2020
