We’re excited to share some fellowship opportunities, sponsored by Microsoft Research, that support sociotechnical researchers who are thinking about AI, and would like to collaborate with researchers in our group, and others across Microsoft Research. In our research group we are working hard to research the difficult social and ethical implications of AI, especially in light of our company’s enormous investment in generative AI tools. MSR aims to support more scholars at the intersections of technology and society asking these hard questions too, through funding to collaborate with resident MSR researchers.

The first set of Microsoft Research fellowships sponsor external scholarship directly. The awards are unrestricted gifts, and offer the awardee the opportunity to collaborate with MSR researchers. Applicants indicate which of a series of “research challenges” they are applying to. All thirteen challenges are relevant to sociotechnical research, but we’d like to highlight a few that are sponsored by SMC researchers and would afford the chance to collaborate with one or more of us: “AI in Organizational Settings” (danah boyd), “AI in the Production of Culture, Media, and the Arts” (Tarleton Gillespie), and “Supporting the Responsible AI Red-Teaming Human Infrastructure” (Mary L. Gray). Two others come from our colleagues in the MSR New York lab: “Regulating AI in Light of the Challenges of Doing Responsible AI in Practice” and “Sociotechnical Approaches to Measuring Harms Caused by AI Systems.” Consider scanning all the research challenges and see if they fit your research aims. The deadline for applications is November 29.

Microsoft Research AI & Society Fellows

The second set are co-sponsored by Microsoft Research and BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides). This is a UK research effort led by the University of Edinburgh and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Again, many of the research challenges may be relevant, but two are sponsored by SMC researchers: “Joyful AI” (Nancy Baym) and “Red-Teaming” (Mary L. Gray). Expressions of interest were due November 6 but are still being accepted; applications are due December 4.

Challenge: Joyful AI Challenge: Red-Teaming
form: expression of interest

We hope you will consider applying for one of these collaboration opportunities!