The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is set to establish a pioneering Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences, backed by a $2 million award from the MacArthur Foundation. The initiative positions LSE at the forefront of global debates on the social, political, and economic implications of artificial intelligence, as governments, regulators and industry grapple with the rapid acceleration of AI technologies. Bringing together leading scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world, the Forum aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI progress and the social science research needed to understand its impact on societies, institutions, and everyday life.
LSE unveils Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences with landmark MacArthur Foundation funding
The London School of Economics and Political Science has secured a transformative $2 million grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to establish a pioneering hub dedicated to understanding how artificial intelligence is reshaping societies, economies and democratic institutions. Bringing together political scientists, economists, sociologists, legal scholars and data scientists, the new initiative will convene policymakers, civil society leaders and industry experts from around the world to interrogate the social consequences of rapidly evolving AI systems. Core priorities will include examining algorithmic governance, labor market disruption, the future of global regulation and the distributional effects of AI across regions and populations. The initiative will also serve as a bridge between evidence-based academic research and real-world policy design, with a particular focus on low- and middle-income countries frequently enough left out of AI debates.
Alongside a rotating programme of visiting fellows and high-level policy dialogues, the initiative will support experimental methodologies and comparative research to ensure that social science perspectives are embedded in technical innovation. Early activities will centre on:
- Cross-disciplinary research clusters exploring AI’s impact on democracy, inequality and global development.
- Policy labs co-designed with governments and regulators to test practical governance frameworks.
- Public engagement platforms to improve clarity, literacy and accountability around AI deployment.
| Focus Area | Key Output | Primary Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Democracy & Governance | Global policy briefs | Regulators & lawmakers |
| Work & Inequality | Comparative country studies | Unions & employers |
| Ethics & Accountability | Guidelines & toolkits | Civil society & NGOs |
How a multidisciplinary AI forum can reshape social science research policy and global governance
At the heart of the new initiative is an ambition to move AI debates beyond computer science labs and corporate boardrooms, embedding them instead in the messy realities of politics, inequality and everyday life. By convening political scientists, sociologists, economists, philosophers, legal scholars, computer scientists and practitioners in one sustained conversation, the Forum aims to turn theoretical concerns into concrete agendas for regulation, public investment and institutional reform.This means asking not only what AI can do,but who it serves,who is left out and how its deployment reshapes power. Through cross-disciplinary working groups and public-facing dialogues, the project will create a shared evidence base that policymakers and international organisations can use to assess risks, anticipate unintended consequences and design safeguards that are both technically credible and socially legitimate.
The Forum will act as a bridge between academic research, public debate and the regulatory experiments already under way in capitals and multilateral organisations. Its activities are expected to generate:
- New policy frameworks that align AI innovation with democratic accountability and human rights.
- Comparative studies of how different regions are governing algorithmic systems in welfare,policing,finance and migration control.
- Practical tools for civil servants, legislators and civil society to scrutinise AI procurement and deployment.
- Global dialogues that give voice to perspectives from the Global South, often marginalised in AI standard‑setting.
| Forum Focus | Policy Impact |
|---|---|
| Algorithmic transparency | Standards for public audits |
| Labour & automation | Guidelines on just transition |
| Disinformation | Cross-border response playbooks |
| Data justice | Global norms on consent & redress |
Building equitable AI futures recommendations for academia governments and industry from the LSE initiative
Drawing on cross-disciplinary research and consultations with partners worldwide, the LSE initiative is developing a concise playbook to steer artificial intelligence toward fairer social outcomes. For universities,this means embedding critical AI literacy across curricula,supporting interdisciplinary labs that pair computer scientists with sociologists,ethicists and legal scholars,and rewarding open,reproducible research over proprietary advantage. Governments are urged to invest in independent public-interest infrastructure-from civic data trusts to regulatory sandboxes-and to back rigorous impact assessments that consider long-term social and democratic effects, not just short-term innovation metrics.
Industry actors are being challenged to move beyond voluntary principles and align their business models with measurable accountability. This includes publishing obvious risk registers, co-designing systems with affected communities, and funding shared resources that reduce the dependence of low- and middle-income countries on imported, one-size-fits-all models. Recommended priorities emerging from the initiative include:
- Shared standards for auditing algorithmic bias and systemic harms.
- Inclusive data practices that recognise community ownership and consent.
- Equity-focused incentives in public procurement and R&D funding.
- Cross-sector fellowships to move researchers between academia, regulators and firms.
| Sector | Key Action | Equity Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Academia | Interdisciplinary AI hubs | Broader perspectives in design |
| Government | Public-interest regulation | Stronger rights protection |
| Industry | Transparent impact reporting | Greater public trust |
From grant to global impact strategies for turning MacArthur Foundation support into lasting institutional change
Transforming a major philanthropic award into long-term institutional capacity demands more than pilot projects; it requires embedding new practices into the everyday life of the university. The Global Forum will channel MacArthur support into core academic infrastructures by seeding cross-disciplinary research clusters, strengthening data governance frameworks and creating shared methodological resources for scholars interrogating AI’s social implications. Through co-developed curricula, joint appointments across departments and permanent knowledge repositories, LSE aims to ensure that expertise generated under the grant becomes part of its enduring intellectual architecture, rather than a time-limited initiative.
- Institutionalised teaching pathways in AI and society
- Long-term partnerships with civil society and regulators
- Reusable data and policy toolkits for global stakeholders
- Career pipelines for early-career scholars from underrepresented regions
| Strategy | Global Outcome |
|---|---|
| Open-access policy labs | Faster uptake of evidence in regulation |
| Regional research nodes | Context-aware AI governance models |
| Practitioner fellowships | Knowledge flow between academia and practice |
To extend the impact of the MacArthur investment beyond campus, the Forum will operate as a convening hub for policymakers, technologists and communities most affected by AI-driven change. Public briefings,rapid-response research memos and collaborative scenario exercises will be designed for direct uptake by ministries,city governments and multilateral bodies. By publishing findings under open licences, building multilingual communication channels, and integrating feedback from grassroots organisations into its research agenda, LSE intends to convert grant-funded experimentation into globally relevant standards, guidance and norms that can shape how AI is governed well after the original funding cycle ends.
Final Thoughts
As governments, businesses and civil society grapple with the implications of rapid advances in AI, LSE’s new Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences positions the institution at the centre of a fast‑moving global conversation. Backed by the MacArthur Foundation’s $2 million award, the initiative will draw on LSE’s longstanding strengths in economics, politics, law and social research to interrogate how AI is reshaping power, inequality and governance.
In doing so, the Forum aims not only to interpret technological change, but to influence it-providing evidence, frameworks and debate that can inform policy and practice worldwide. As the Forum begins its work, the question will be not whether AI transforms society, but how far insights from the social sciences can help ensure that conversion is equitable, accountable and in the public interest.
