The AI Welfare State – Awarded grant for research cluster

WASP-HS is a national research programme supporting multidisciplinary research that generates new knowledge about the effects of AI on humanity and society. One of the five funded research clusters is titled "The AI Welfare State", and is coordinated by Södertörn University, with representatives from Lund University and Karlstad University on the management team. Stefan Larsson, Associate Professor in Technology and Social Change at the Department of Technology and Society at LTH, describes the project idea:

“There are visions and challenges associated with all types of technological implementation and application. The project will explore how the public sector and the welfare state are influenced and transformed by the integration of automation and AI. One of the key questions in the project concerns governance. How is the integration of new technologies governed, by whom, through which means, and what type of legal frameworks should be applied?”

The awarded grant is significant within the social sciences field and enables extensive empirical research on AI and the welfare state. The research will primarily be conducted at the national government agency level and may include interviews, mapping studies, and observations. The cluster also includes a group of Knowledge Exchange Partners with representatives from government agencies, The Swedish Internet Foundation, and other stakeholders to ensure engagement and cooperation throughout the project. The funded clusters will also collaborate with each other, with several intersections between planned projects.

“I look forward to working with some of Sweden’s leading experts in the field, and link it to our international partners, and to building the critical mass needed to generate new much-needed knowledge and offer complementary perspectives on AI and automation in society,” says Stefan Larsson.