The internet and inequality have a complex relationship: some parts of the internet reduce inequality, while others amplify existing inequalities and create new ones. Even access to the internet itself is beset by inequality, be that by digital exclusion on the basis of age or wealth, or by persistent unavailability of the internet in parts of the Global South.
Our research critically assesses these inequalities and the structures they emerge from. OII projects consider inequality of all sorts, from that based on gender, to that based on geographic location.
By Mohammad Amir Anwar and Mark Graham
The Digital Continent investigates what the new world of digital work means for the lives of African workers. Anwar and Graham draw on a year-long field study in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda.
This project aims to understand the ways in which algorithmic bias can stand as evidence of existing inequalities, with the aim of informing policy interventions to tackle the social causes of these disparities.
Based on a case-study analysis of bias in the Chicago Crime Prediction Algorithm, this project explores the extent to which evidence of algorithmic bias can be used to guide policy responses to the societal disparities replicated in these tools.
This project seeks to apply the principles of AI for Fair Work, by using these as a benchmark for empirical on workers’ experiences of the implementation of AI systems in the workplace.
By Julia Slupska, Scarlet Dawson Duckworth, Gina Neff, Nayana Prakash, Selina Cho, Linda Ma, Laura Shepherd, Hayyu Imanda, Hubert Au, Antonella Perini, and Romy Minko
The discourse around cybersecurity can often seem academic and exclusive. The Reconfigure project aims to build a feminist alternative and this report sets out findings from a pilot study applying “action research” methods to cybersecurity questions.
10 March 2025
Meta recently announced its plan to build the world’s longest submarine cable system. The OII’s Professor Vili Lehdonvirta and DPhil candidate Anniki Mikelsaar ask what geopolitical and economic significance this new project may have.
16 January 2025
Professor Mark Graham introduces a new framework for the field of development studies to help ensure real world impact and relevance in the digital age.
2 July 2024
Fairwork researchers propose recommendations for the incoming government, to provide a foundation for fairer and more sustainable platform work in the UK.
16 April 2024
The OII and the OSGA have appointed Dr Janaki Srinivasan to a joint post as Associate Professor in Digital South Asian Studies.
Springer Nature, 09 April 2025
Scientists working on artificial intelligence are more confident than the public that the technology will benefit people.
Focus Online, 27 March 2025
Rents are rising relentlessly, and affordable housing is becoming increasingly scarce. Data scientist Fabian Braesemann explains the causes and shows how smart housing policy can counteract this.
Channel News Asia, 13 March 2025
In the era of rapid development of artificial intelligence, the seemingly smoothly running automated systems actually rely on millions of human workers in harsh environments to maintain this mechanism.
