James Wallis is a Fellow at the Centre for Statecraft and National Security (CSNS) and a doctoral researcher in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. His work focuses on how AI is reshaping strategic competition, crisis stability and nuclear risk, especially in the context of US-China rivalry. His thesis project draws on Cold War history, political psychology, and Chinese & US strategic culture to assess how military AI disrupts the threat-perception mechanisms that have historically underpinned crisis stability between great powers, and the prospects for AI-enabled escalation pathways in US-China relations.
Before entering academia, Wallis spent eighteen years in corporate strategy consulting, leading large teams and advising major multinationals at board level. In 2025, he was a seasonal fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI).