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.
28 July 2025
Researchers including DPhil students from the Oxford Internet Institute will present new research and share recent findings at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) in Vienna.
9 June 2025
The Oxford Internet Institute’s Franziska Sofia Hafner explores whether language models are perpetuating gender stereotypes.
21 May 2025
Oxford researchers reveal how AI language models encode a flawed and binary understanding of gender, posing significant risks for transgender, nonbinary, and even cisgender individuals.
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.
Euronews, 27 October 2025
One in four workplaces in Europe is making decisions using algorithms or AI that will impact the working life of their employees. The OII's Dr Alessio Bertolini argues the need for more legislation to protect workers' rights.
Die ZEIT, 18 October 2025
In Kenia helfen Menschen wie Noah dabei, dass KI-Systeme schlauer werden. 15 Stunden am Tag, jederzeit kündbar, quasi umsonst. Von ihrer Arbeit profitieren auch deutsche Supermärkte.
BBC News, 30 September 2025
A new £185m arts and humanities centre will open in October, it has been announced which will also include academic faculty space, including the Oxford Internet Institute.
