The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) and the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program – Humanity and Society (WASP-HS) External link, opens in new window. are together launching a new international research initiative, Human Futures – AI Transitions in a Global Context, carried out in collaboration with Tokyo College (Japan) External link, opens in new window. and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS, South Africa). External link, opens in new window.

Running from 2026 to 2027, the program brings together scholars from a range of disciplines to examine the broader transformations associated with the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems across different global contexts.

At a time when AI development is accelerating and public debates are often framed through technological competition or regionally concentrated perspectives, Human Futures seeks to broaden the conversation by incorporating viewpoints from Asia, Africa, and the Nordic region, fostering cross-regional dialogue on the societal implications of AI.

The program will be formally launched at an inaugural workshop at SCAS in Uppsala on 27–29 May 2026, bringing together approximately thirty invited scholars for a series of discussions, thematic explorations, and collaborative exchanges.

The program will explore themes including AI, knowledge and epistemic change, focusing on how AI influences knowledge production, disciplinary practices, research methodologies, and the role of expertise across fields, as well as AI and academic agency, examining how scholars experience and negotiate AI systems in their everyday work and how these technologies may reshape autonomy, scholarly practices, and institutional dynamics within academia.

“We are thrilled to explore the implications of AI for academic knowledge creation with our partners at STIAS and Tokyo College”, says Christina Garsten, Principal of SCAS.

Human Futures will unfold through three international workshops hosted at Institutes for Advanced Study:

• Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala
• Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Stellenbosch
• Tokyo College, Tokyo

Through these workshops, the program aims to create space for sustained interdisciplinary reflection on the societal transformations associated with artificial intelligence and to surface new questions, perspectives, and research directions concerning AI transitions across different global contexts.