Institute for Technology and Humanity

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) is one of the world's leading interdisciplinary centres for research on the ethics, governance and societal impact of artificial intelligence. Its researchers publish world-leading research, advise governments and international bodies, and lead the public discussion on AI and its consequences for society.

The PhD in AI and Society will train upcoming researchers and leaders, equiping them to address the societal challenges and opportunities arising from the development and deployment of AI. It is an interdisciplinary PhD focused on critically examining how AI affects societies, institutions and individuals, and how those effects should be understood, regulated and governed. The course admits students from a broad range of backgrounds — including political science, sociology, public policy, philosophy, law and psychology as well as technical fields — who will form part of an interdisciplinary cohort researching in areas such as:

Ethics of AI

Examining the ethical questions raised by the development and deployment of AI systems, including fairness, accountability, responsibility and the implications of AI for human values and wellbeing.

Governance and Policy

Studying how AI development and deployment can be governed at national and international levels, from regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act to the work of advisory bodies, safety institutes and international organisations.

Law and Regulation

Advancing understanding of the legal challenges posed by AI, including liability, human rights, accountability and the frameworks needed to govern new innovations such as AI agents.

Politics, Economy and Society

Investigating the political, economic and social impacts of AI diffusion, including its effects on work, institutions, democracy and collective societal preparedness for transformative technological change.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly developing and is increasingly being applied across sectors, posing significant ethical and societal challenges. The MSt in AI Ethics and Society is devoted to developing leaders who can tackle the hard AI questions that are most relevant for the workplace today, such as issues of privacy, surveillance, justice, fairness, algorithmic bias, misinformation, Big Data, responsible innovation, and more.

The MSt in AI Ethics and Society delivers an academically rigorous part-time programme aimed at professionals from business, public, and social sectors working with applications of artificial intelligence (AI), providing the skills and expertise needed to address the ethical issues arising from the uses and impacts of AI.

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) is an international research institute exploring the nature and impacts of artificial intelligence (AI). It is part of the Institute of Technology and Humanity at the University of Cambridge, and has research networks across the world, and strong links to the policy and technologies sectors, both in the UK and internationally. CFI brings the knowledge and methodologies of multiple disciplines to the challenges of understanding the nature of AI and the ethical implications of its wide-ranging applications across sectors and society, in both the short, medium and long-term.

The MPhil in Ethics of AI, Data and Algorithms is a full-time 9-month course run by the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, which sits with in the Institute for Technology and Humanity. It equips students from a range of backgrounds with the research skills and specialist knowledge to engage critically and constructively with debates on the ethical and societal impacts of AI and other digital technologies, and provides the opportunity to carry out focused research under close supervision by domain experts at the University. Those intending to go on to doctoral work learn the research skills needed to help them prepare a well-planned and focused PhD proposal.

In addition to individual supervisions that support work on essays and dissertation, the taught elements of the course consist of core seminars, which introduce the central topics in AI and data ethics, a range of elective modules covering specialist topics, and work-in-progress seminars, in which students gain experience in presenting their own work and discussing the issues that arise from it with an audience of their peers and senior members of staff. Students also have the opportunity to attend lectures, research seminars and reading groups across the Centre, Institute, and the wider University.

This PhD in Global Risk and Resilience will train the next generation of global risk researchers, practitioners and policymakers in the identification, assessment, management and mitigation of global catastrophic risks. This course offers the skills and expertise needed to critically evaluate and contribute to debates about global risk and resilience, which depending on the expertise of available supervisors may include AI, climate, biosecurity, disaster, systemic and nuclear risks, including their governance. Students will be educated in an interdisciplinary environment where they will have access to specialists in the technical, ethical, applied and governance aspects of global risk and resilience.

The MPhil in Global Risk and Resilience prepares students to play leading roles in the study and mitigation of large-scale global risk, regardless of cause. The programme provides the skills and expertise needed to critically evaluate and contribute to debates about global risk and resilience by surveying interdisciplinary perspectives on key risk drivers, multipliers, and mitigation opportunities.

This PhD in Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence will train the next generation of AI researchers, technologists, and leaders in the development of human-centred, human-compatible, responsible and socially and globally beneficial AI technologies. The course offers research training in areas such as fundamental human-level AI, social and interactive AI, cognitive AI, creative AI, health and global AI, and responsible AI. Students will be educated in an interdisciplinary environment where they can get access to expertise not only in the technical but also human, ethical, applied and industrial aspects of AI.

This programme is distinct from other PhD programmes in that it takes a strongly interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approach to technical AI.

This MPhil in Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence is designed to equip the next generation of AI researchers, technologists, and leaders with the skills needed to develop human-centred, human-compatible, responsible and socially and globally beneficial AI technologies. The MPhil is directed by the Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence (CHIA) within the Institute for Technology and Humanity (ITH). CHIA is dedicated to investigating the innovative ways in which human and machine intelligence can be combined to yield AI which is capable of contributing to social and global progress. It offers an excellent interdisciplinary environment where students can explore technical, human, ethical, applied and industrial aspects of AI.