The research centers of Kozminski University – HUMANRACE Research Center and CRASH – Center for Research on Social Change and Human Mobility – have signed a letter of research collaboration with the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School. The collaboration concerns the preparation of a joint research proposal for the European Research Council Synergy Grant under the working title AISOME: AI, Society, Migration, and Employment.
This marks an important step in strengthening the international position of Kozminski University as an institution that not only studies the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy and society but also co-creates the global research agenda on how technology is transforming work, migration, inequalities and people’s everyday experiences.
The collaboration brings together the expertise of three research centers. On the side of Kozminski University, the project is led by the teams of Prof. Aleksandra Przegalińska from HUMANRACE Research Center and Prof. Izabela Grabowska from CRASH. On the side of Harvard Law School, the document was signed by Sharon Block, Executive Director of the Center for Labor and a Just Economy, a recognized expert in labor law, public policy and the future of work.
AI, work and migration: one of the defining questions of our time
The AISOME project aims to develop international, comparative research on how artificial intelligence and automation affect labor markets, social mobility, migration, the organization of work and inequalities. A particularly important element of the collaboration will be the comparative perspective of Europe and the United States.
Researchers will examine, among other issues, how AI changes the demand for skills, how it affects routine and clerical work, how it transforms relationships within organizations, and how it impacts people whose position in the labor market is additionally shaped by gender, migration background, language or social status.
One of the planned research components is an analysis of the experiences of women performing clerical work in Warsaw and Pennsylvania, including women with a migration background. The study will explore how female workers use AI tools in their everyday work, when they disclose or conceal such use, and how organizational norms, occupational hierarchies and language skills influence their sense of agency.
A Polish perspective in the global debate on the future of work
The collaboration with the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School strengthens the role of Kozminski University as a partner of leading international research institutions. It also shows that the Polish perspective is needed in the global debate on AI, work and inequalities.
“Artificial intelligence is not merely a technology. It is a social, organizational and cultural transformation. This is why we need research that goes beyond the question of efficiency and asks about the impact of AI on people, relationships, inequalities and everyday work,” says Prof. Aleksandra Przegalińska, Vice-Rector of Kozminski University and co-founder of HUMANRACE Research Center.
“Migration and social mobility are among the most sensitive areas of contemporary labor markets. If we want to understand the future of work in the age of AI, we need to study not only technologies, but also the biographies, experiences and strategies of people functioning in changing organizations and societies,” emphasizes Prof. Izabela Grabowska from CRASH – Center for Research on Social Change and Human Mobility.
The formal research collaboration with Harvard Law School is another example of the consistent development of Kozminski University’s international research potential. The University develops projects that address some of the most important challenges of our time: technological transformation, the future of work, responsible use of AI, social mobility and the social consequences of economic change.
The joint research agenda of HUMANRACE, CRASH and CLJE strongly reflects the mission of Kozminski University: to conduct research that matters – research that is meaningful not only for science, but also for the economy, public institutions, organizations and people.
