Human-centred research and design on how people understand, experience and retain agency over AI and data-driven systems.
About
ETC Labs is a research lab focused on the relationship between people and increasingly intelligent digital systems. We study what people need to understand about AI, how transparency can become genuinely useful, and how meaningful human control can be designed and maintained as systems become more personalised and autonomous. Alongside primary research, we build tools and practical resources for designers, researchers and policymakers working in this space.
Research
How people develop the knowledge, skills and mental models needed to understand and engage critically with AI — including how AI-generated content is identified, how algorithmic systems make decisions, and what literacy means as AI becomes embedded in professional and everyday life.
What people need to know about AI systems for transparency to be meaningful — including disclosure of AI-generated and synthetic content, watermarking and provenance, algorithmic accountability, data use and personalisation, and the design of explanations that are genuinely interpretable rather than performative.
How people set boundaries, delegate authority, intervene, correct systems and withdraw permission as AI becomes more capable of acting on their behalf, including the design of consent interfaces, permission architectures, revocation mechanisms, and the conditions under which human oversight remains meaningful.
Projects
How people decide what AI agents should be allowed to do, and when delegated action becomes an overstep.
How people judge whether permitted personal information is an appropriate basis for consequential AI actions.
How teachers and learners understand, use and negotiate increasingly autonomous AI systems.
People
Our community includes fellows, academics, research engineers and designers, alongside visiting researchers and collaborators contributing to specific areas of our work.
Senior Fellow, Responsible AI
Fellow, Journalism & AI
Research Engineer
Contact
We welcome conversations with researchers, practitioners and organisations interested in our work, as well as enquiries about research collaboration and visiting opportunities.