The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a $2 million grant to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) to support the launch of a Global Forum on AI and the Social Sciences, marking a major investment in social science-led research and dialogue on artificial intelligence.
LSE said the Global Forum will be an annual international convening that brings together policymakers, academics, technologists, industry leaders, and civil society actors to examine the social, economic, and governance implications of AI and translate research insights into practical policy and institutional action.
The initiative will be led by Cosmina Dorobantu and Helen Margetts, both based at LSE’s Data Science Institute. According to the university, each edition of the forum will focus on a specific thematic area related to AI and society, with the inaugural forum scheduled for September 2026 in London, centring on the impact of AI on work, employment and labour markets.
LSE President and Vice-Chancellor Larry Kramer said: “Thanks to generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, the Global Forum will bring world-leading social scientists together with leaders from industry and government to help ensure that AI is developed and governed to serve human and societal needs. LSE’s mission is to understand the causes of things for the betterment of society, and the MacArthur Foundation’s commitment to a more just, verdant and peaceful world makes them an ideal partner for the vision that underpins the Forum.”
Dorobantu said: “We are building a new Global Institute at LSE that will ensure that social science research and expertise shape how AI is developed, deployed, and governed for the benefit of humanity. The Global Forum on AI and Social Sciences is a cornerstone of our vision for the new Institute. It will do what no other annual convening of global thought leaders does: place social science research at the heart of conversations about AI, ensuring that discussions are grounded in evidence and that they lead to concrete commitments and action. I am incredibly grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for their support, and I am very excited to be working with their talented team.”
Margetts said: “AI capabilities are advancing faster than our understanding of their social and economic consequences, and the decisions being made now will have lasting effects. This Forum responds to that urgency by bringing academia, industry and government together on a global scale to deepen our understanding of AI’s impacts, to inform labour market policymaking, and to develop commitments that support workers and communities worldwide.”
In addition to the annual convening, LSE plans to publish a State of AI and Society report linked to each forum theme, synthesising research findings and highlighting policy implications. The initiative will also introduce a Commitment Charter, inviting participating organisations to endorse shared principles and actions arising from forum discussions.
The MacArthur Foundation said the grant aligns with its broader strategy to support human-centred and socially responsive approaches to AI, as part of wider funding efforts to ensure the benefits of artificial intelligence are more widely and equitably shared.
Senior Reporter/Editor
Bio: Ugochukwu is a freelance journalist and Editor at AIbase.ng, with a strong professional focus on investigative reporting. He holds a degree in Mass Communication and brings extensive experience in news gathering, reporting, and editorial writing. With over a decade of active engagement across diverse news outlets, he contributes in-depth analytical, practical, and expository articles exploring artificial intelligence and its real-world impact. His seasoned newsroom experience and well-established information networks provide AIbase.ng with credible, timely, and high-quality coverage of emerging AI developments.