Making sense of the economy of algorithms
I work with leaders — and their teams — to make sense of how AI is reshaping business, and what to do about it. Keynotes that shift mindsets, strategy that survives contact with reality, and the award-winning book The Economy of Algorithms.
Trusted by teams at
Five talks, zero predictions
Everything in these talks already exists — it's just unevenly distributed. If what Marek describes sounds like the future, it means you're living in the past. Each keynote is rebuilt around the audience, and each overview below is ready to lift straight into your programme.
A lawyer texted Marek in a panic: AI can review contracts in seconds — am I obsolete? The better question is why anyone hired her to read documents in the first place. Teachers are hired to transform minds, not transfer information. Translators are hired to bridge understanding, not swap words. This keynote gives audiences a simple, uncomfortable, oddly liberating framework for working out which parts of their job to hand over, which to defend, and which to reinvent entirely.
What the audience leaves with
- The Drop / Defend / Elevate / Reinvent framework, applied to their own role
- A clear read on which of their tasks AI is genuinely better at — and which it isn't
- Roles that didn't exist a year ago, and what that suggests about their next one
Best for
All-staff events, professional bodies, leadership offsites, conferences with a workforce or capability theme.
Marek's most requested and most immediately actionable session.
Built around your audience
No generic set, serial numbers filed off
Every talk is rebuilt for the room — the examples, the language, the stakes. Recent depth across financial services, energy, government, education, health, legal and automotive, for audiences from boards to 10,000-seat arenas.
Booking a keynote? Tell Marek about your audience and he'll show you what it looks like tailored — that's part of the first conversation, not an extra.
Start that conversationFormats & logistics
However your programme works
Watch Marek on stage: Masters & Robots keynote
Speaker one-sheet (PDF)
“Quite simply, Marek was outstanding. He has an incredible ability to take complex ideas and make people think differently, and he set exactly the right tone for a room of senior executives. What struck me most was how often the conversation kept coming back to the concepts he introduced — everyone was referencing his ideas, building on them and debating them. That’s the mark of someone who shifts the conversation rather than simply contributes to it.”
“Excellent, and exactly what we needed. Many said it was the best face-to-face session we’ve had in years.”
“Marek both terrified and inspired our delegates! He was a refreshing change from the usual ‘opinion’ expert — he is the real deal, someone who absolutely knows their stuff and understands the brief. His ability to communicate complex topics was first class and he held a room of delegates in thrall for a full hour. Would highly, highly recommend him for anyone wanting to learn ‘beyond the spin’ for AI.”
“I was absolutely hooked on every minute of your presentation and have told all my friends about alien intelligence! I will definitely approach how I use and develop AI tools in a different way now.”
Who he works with
Boards and leadership teams across financial services, energy, government, education, health, legal and technology — from global enterprises to a national energy market operator and one of Australia's largest listed tech companies. Sector-specific examples and references on request.
On stage
100+ keynotes across four continents
SXSW stages in Austin, London and Sydney. The World Economic Forum in Davos. Boardrooms and government summits in between — engaging, evidence-based and always practical.
Check availabilityThe Economy of Algorithms
AI and the Rise of the Digital Minions
Welcome to the economy of algorithms. It's here and it's growing. Algorithms are no longer just tools — they're becoming employees, managers, customers and competitors. An insider's guide to the invisible new economy that is reshaping our lives, including nine rules for flourishing in it.
La Trobe University Press, 2024. Also as an audiobook (Audible), in Polish as Sterowani algorytmami (MT Biznes, 2025), and in Chinese translation (2024).
- How do you advertise to a fridge?
- Can an algorithm take your job?
- Where is the line between algorithmic help and surveillance?
- Do algorithms dream of electric sheep?
“AI appears to be eating the world. How then to understand where this is taking us, both the promises and the threats? This book is for you.”
“A damn well-written book… a thrilling, entertaining whirlwind tour of different AI algorithms and their industry applications.”
“This is the book I will, from now on, recommend to anyone who wants to understand the implications of AI-powered algorithms on human society.”
The economy of algorithms, in your ears
The Economy of Algorithms
Short conversations-in-audio expanding on the newsletter — the ideas, the stories, and the occasional rant that didn't fit in writing. On a brief hiatus; new episodes in the works.
Listen to the showGuest appearances
A regular guest on podcasts around the world — AI strategy, agentic commerce, digital minions in the legal world and more, in English and Polish.
Work with me
Design Jams & Innovation Sprints
Co-design your organisation's future in days, not months. The award-winning sprint format I pioneered at QUT — compressed, rigorous, outcome-focused.
Executive Education
Disruptive Innovation Leadership and custom programs for executive teams — built on research, delivered for practitioners.
See the QUT courseStrategy & Advisory
Digital strategy, AI roadmaps and industry advisory — the same thinking behind Queensland's Digital Economy Strategy and AI Hub.
In the media — 40+ broadcast, podcast & press appearances
ADAPTADAPTAcademic rigour, Silicon Valley disruption
Marek Kowalkiewicz — "Prof. Marek" to most — is Professor and Chair in Digital Economy at QUT Business School in Brisbane, where he leads research on the algorithm economy and AI-native organisations.
Before joining academia he led global innovation teams in Silicon Valley as a Senior Director at SAP, ran SAP's Machine Learning lab in Singapore, and was a Research Fellow at Microsoft Research Asia. He co-founded the Queensland AI Hub, helped shape the state's Digital Economy Strategy, and pioneered the award-winning 30-day research innovation sprint format.
Marek holds a PhD (summa cum laude) from Poznan University of Economics and Business, fifteen patents, a place on Thinkers360's Top 100 Global Thought Leaders in AI list, and a LinkedIn Top Voice badge. He has authored 140+ publications, written for Harvard Business Review, and served on the board of the State Library of Queensland and the Queensland Government's Ministerial ICT Advisory Council. When not studying digital minions, he's a keen long-distance trail runner.
Full academic profile at QUTBuilds, not just talks
Most AI speakers describe the technology. Marek uses it — live coding prototypes and demonstrations on stage, formally trained in AI at Stanford, holder of fifteen patents. He deliberately doesn't build as a service: what he offers is deep advice from someone who understands the technology from the inside out.
