Dr. Fabian Ferrari

About

The research of Fabian Ferrari examines digital leverage: how actors gain power by occupying positions in the production of AI that others must pass through or negotiate with. But the language of digital sovereignty often treats dependence after the fact, as something to reduce or repair. In opposition to this focus, digital leverage asks how actors build the very dependencies that others later try to escape, such as dominant AI models.

This perspective builds on his work on the governance of AI, platforms, and digital infrastructures. As an Assistant Professor in Cultural AI, he leads the Geopolitics of Digital Infrastructure special interest group at Utrecht University. He holds a PhD from the Oxford Internet Institute, and an MSc from the London School of Economics. His work is funded by a Veni grant of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). 

Research Group: Working with AI (June 2026)