Google.org is providing $15 million in funding to a new cohort of think tanks and academic institutions to support independent research on the social and economic impacts of artificial intelligence, bringing its total commitment to the Digital Futures Fund to more than $35 million globally.
The fund, which Google.org launched to back researchers examining how AI affects governance, security and economic opportunity, will expand its focus across three pillars: work and the economy, innovation and infrastructure, and security and governance.
Research supported under the new cohort will cover sector-specific labour market effects in manufacturing and healthcare, the infrastructure and energy demands of AI systems, and frameworks for governing responsible innovation.
Organisations joining the cohort include American Compass, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Urban Institute and Chile's Centro Nacional de Inteligencia Artificial (CENIA).
Earlier grantees have already produced research examining how AI could support workers, strengthen cyber defences and shape innovation policy.
Google.org said it expects the work to inform collaboration among industry, government, academia and civil society, and to surface policy options that help ensure the technology develops securely and equitably.
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"Artificial intelligence is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen economies, drive scientific breakthroughs and bolster global cybersecurity," the organisation said in its announcement.
The fund's expansion reflects growing demand among policymakers and institutions for credible, independent analysis of AI's broader effects, as governments in the United States, European Union and elsewhere work to develop regulatory frameworks for the technology.
The recap
- Google.org funds a new cohort of AI research groups.
- $15 million committed to the new Digital Futures Fund cohort.
- Cohort will research work, innovation infrastructure and security governance.