The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted profound excitement about the potential benefits of new technologies, from driving breakthroughs in medical science to tackling human trafficking and climate change. However, this growth has also given rise to deep-seated fears about the societal and economic disruptions that AI systems might bring.
This research programme aims to systematically assess both the risks and the benefits. These include the role of AI technologies in the automation of paid and unpaid work, the proliferation of algorithmic management practices and reduced autonomy across organizations, rising inequality, as well as the possibility for social unrest and political backlash. But they also include the possibility that AI will supercharge innovation, create new jobs and industries, boost productivity and resilience, and improve opportunities for education and reskilling.
These challenges are not limited to one sector or workforce, but affect the future of work from low paid and unpaid work to skilled professionals and knowledge workers. They also affect sectors ranging from manufacturing and retail to journalism, education and the creative industries.
To shed light on these pertinent issues, this programme, supported by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, enables researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute to undertake an ambitious programme of research dedicated to investigating these impacts of AI and other cutting-edge technologies. It supports projects from faculty members and doctoral students for projects within this research area. It also enables our research partnership with the Technical University of Munich Campus Heilbronn on these topics.
Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI & Work
Carl-Benedikt Frey an economist and Associate Professor of AI & Work. He is also a Fellow of Mansfield College and Director of the Future of Work Programme at the Oxford Martin School.
Departmental Research Lecturer
Fabian is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work at the Oxford Internet Institute.
Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work
Gemma Newlands is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work. As an organisational sociologist, her research explores the impact of artificial intelligence on work and organisations.
Departmental Research Lecturer
Dr Fabian Braesemann is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work at the OII.
Professor of Education, the Internet and Society
Rebecca Eynon's research focuses on learning and the Internet, and the links between digital and social exclusion.
Professor of Internet Geography
Mark Graham is an economic geographer. His research focuses on digital labour, the gig economy, and digital inequalities. He is the author, most recently, of The Gig Economy: A Critical Introduction.
Research Associate
Lulu Shi is a sociologist working on projects investigating the intersection between society and technology. Her research interests include digital sociology, sociology of education, work and employment.
Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor, Senior Research Fellow
Bernie Hogan examines how to capture, represent and think about social networks, especially personal social networks. His work focuses on the role of design in social media, network capture techniques and theories of relationships.
Associate Professor in AI and Society
Ekaterina Hertog is an Associate Professor of AI and Society at Oxford Internet Institute and Institute for Ethics in AI. She studies how the rising digitalisation is reshaping private lives across the world.
Former DPhil Student
Julian is interested in the future of work, particularly skill development and matching on online labour markets. Alongside his DPhil, he worked as a research assistant for the CrowdLearn research project.
DPhil Student
Laura specializes in emerging technologies’ impact on artistic & creative practices. Currently, she is the Head of AI Research at Adobe and a doctoral researcher at the OII.
DPhil Student
Maggie’s doctoral research focuses on AI and creativity. She is incorporating visual art as a part of a practice-based methodological approach to understand how creatives find inspiration through algorithmic image search.
DPhil Student
Srujana is a doctoral student at the OII and a member of the Fairwork Project. Her research focusses on digital labour, migration, and resistance.
DPhil Student
Nancy is a DPhil student at the OII. Her research concerns the public perception and user experience of emerging technologies.
Research Associate
Felix is a Research Fellow in AI and News at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and a former DPhil student at the OII. A former Leverhulme and Dieter Schwarz Scholar, he researches AI in journalism and the news.
DPhil Student
Amanda is a DPhil student researching video games, player creativity, and knowledge practices.
DPhil Student
Andrew holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Yale University and an MSc in Social Data Science from the OII. He is a Clarendon Scholar and was previously a Thouron Prize winner at the University of Cambridge (Pembroke College).
DPhil Student
Liam is a doctoral student at the Oxford Internet Institute whose research focuses on communities of practice, from hobby and amateur groups to professional networks, which often use digital technologies to organise their knowledge-making activities.
DPhil Student
Ziyu Deng is a DPhil student in Information, Communication, and Social Sciences. She is interested in the relationship between offline social environments and the online reproduction and propagation of public opinions.
With Dr Lulu P. Shi, Prof Stephan Krusche, Dr Fabian Stephany, and Professor Helmut Krcmar
As AI transforms the world of work, it has also emerged as a powerful force for change within the field of education, with the capacity to personalize learning experiences, cater to diverse student needs, and enhance overall educational outcomes.
With Dr Fabian Stephany
Watch Dr Fabian Stephany deliver his keynote speech, 'Superpower Skills - The Role of Skills in Times of Technological Change' at the Schaffarei Conference, in Feldkirch, Austria.
With Dr Fabian Stephany
Watch Dr Fabian Stephany deliver his talk 'The Role of Skills in Times of AI' at the 2023 Economics of AI Conference.
27 February 2024
2023 was the year AI really made its mark. It's been a wild ride for everyone from office workers to big companies, with even the experts scratching their heads.
22 January 2024
Departmental Research Lecturer Dr Fabian Braesemann visited Germany to present his latest research on the power of personality in shaping the success of startups and beyond.
9 November 2023
Eight OII DPhil students have received Dieter Schwarz Foundation (DSF) funding to enable them to begin a 12-month research project during the course of their studies.
8 November 2023
In their new blog, OII alumna Barani Maung Maung and Dr Keegan McBride, discuss how the emerging risks associated with Generative AI systems have higher negative potential in countries where non-dominant global language are spoken.
Focus Online, 04 February 2025
Die Handelspolitik von Donald Trump sorgt für massive Unruhe in der Weltwirtschaft. Datenwissenschaftler Fabian Braesemann erklärt, warum Trumps Zölle mehr schaden als nützen und wie smarte Wirtschaftspolitik aussehen sollte.
Business Insider, 19 November 2024
As the adoption of driverless taxis spreads across the US, ride-hailing experts told Business Insider that Uber and Lyft drivers could see their earning opportunities slowly deteriorate.
Yahoo Finance, 06 November 2024
Landing a new job requires more than skill, experience and a strong CV to catch the eye of a recruiter. Now, AI-driven hiring platforms are in charge of who gets a job and who doesn’t.
Nikkei Digital Governance, 19 September 2024
2024 has been deal-making time for AI companies and news publishers. At least 26 international publishers have struck licensing deals with AI companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Perplexity since the start of the year.
This project aims to reveal the determinants of success in entrepreneurship, startups and innovation ecosystems using data science and qualitative research methods.
The emergence of AI image generation tools raises questions about their impact on creative professionals. This project seeks to work with professional photographers to explore the impact of this technology on their occupational legitimacy.
This project explores how the analysis of online generated labour market data can help us understand the relevance of new skills and sustainability of novel occupations.
