David Eliot’s story begins in Kingston, Ontario, where he was raised in a family of computer scientists. Despite his tech-centric upbringing, David chose a different path, studying sociology at university. He thought he had distanced himself from the family business, but fate had other plans.

In 2019, David saw a demonstration of GPT-2 and was immediately struck by its potential to revolutionize society. This moment sparked a passion that led him to secure a grant for independent summer research at St. Francis Xavier University. Throughout that summer, David delved into the technical and social dimensions of AI, culminating in an undergraduate thesis on the social impacts of generative AI. His work earned him the Canadian Sociological Association’s “Outstanding Graduate Award” and saw an abridged version of his undergraduate dissertation published by Manchester University Press.

David’s journey continued at Queen’s University, where he pursued a Master’s degree under the guidance of Canadian Research Chair David Murakami Wood at the Surveillance Studies Center (SSC). He spearheaded and worked on various projects, producing popular press articles, academic papers, and policy research. His efforts were recognized with the Arthur B. Macdonald Award for Academic Excellence, another “Outstanding Graduate Award” from the Canadian Sociological Association, and a board position at the SSC.

In 2022, David’s leadership and academic excellence were further acknowledged when he was named a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation PhD Scholar.

Now at the University of Ottawa, he continues to conduct PhD research under David Murakami Wood, focusing on the development of data economies and their impact on AI, politics, and social groups. He explores how regulatory regimes shape data economies to foster AI development while navigating citizen rights regarding data.

While working on his PhD, David authored and published his first book, Artificially Intelligent: The Very Human Story of AI. Written to help general audiences understand the technical workings and social impacts of AI, Artificially Intelligent propelled David into the public conversation regarding how society should adapt to the AI revolution. He has since become a contributor to numerous major magazines and newspapers, appeared on nationally televised TV programs, and spoken on over 50 podcasts and radio shows around the world.

Outside of academia, he is a fierce advocate for the rights of people with learning disabilities; a cause close to his heart, as David himself is dyslexic. He currently sits on the Board of Governors for Dyslexia Canada.