Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Internet Policy Research Initiative (IPRI) at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) was founded in 2015 as a campuswide initiative pioneering a new style of cross-disciplinary research and policy dialogue, bringing together scholars from across the campus. The initiative is housed in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab, but has a campuswide mandate with faculty and graduate students from the schools of Engineering; Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; and the Sloan School of Management. In 2020, MIT announced the creation of the new Schwarzman College of Computing with a commitment to address the social, ethical, and public policy impact of computing in society. The college is now hiring 50 new faculty to lead its work. Since 2020, IPRI has been playing the central role in the college’s new computing policy mission by driving cross-institute AI policy research and engagement, and launching a new Future of Data, Trust, and Privacy initiative. Bridge funds will provide interim support for IPRI research, education, and outreach activities in the college as long-term funding for those functions is solidified.