Polyfoni Social Sciences for AI Fellowship 2026-2027: Research Opportunity

Applications are now open for the Polyfoni Social Sciences for AI Fellowship 2026-2027. This four-month, part-time research program is designed for social scientists with fieldwork experience. Fellows will remotely conduct a cultural audit of an AI product in their region of expertise.

Application Closing Date: October 15, 2026
Location: Remote
Programme Duration: November 2026 – March 2027 (Four months)
Stipend: Not specified
Minimum Qualification: Not specified, but fieldwork experience and interest in technology are expected.
Opportunity Type: Fellowship, Research Collaboration

About the Polyfoni Social Sciences for AI Fellowship

The Polyfoni Fellowship offers a unique research collaboration for social scientists. The program focuses on understanding how Artificial Intelligence (AI) products are developed and deployed. Fellows will conduct a cultural audit, which is an empirical analysis of AI products.

This audit examines how AI products encode assumptions about the contexts they are used in. It also identifies where these assumptions might fail. The fellowship provides training in Polyfoni’s Cultural Audit Method, which includes assumption mapping, contextual failure identification, severity assessment, and recommendations.

The research will target a real AI product within a region the fellow has deep contextual knowledge of. This means leveraging existing fieldwork experience as the primary data source. The output will be a report written for a product team and published on Polyfoni’s platform.

About Polyfoni

Polyfoni is an organization focused on the intersection of social sciences and Artificial Intelligence. They aim to improve how AI products are built, evaluated, and governed. The fellowship program is a key initiative to bring social science perspectives into AI development.

Available Fellowship Opportunities

Fellows will conduct a cultural audit of a real AI product in their region of expertise. Examples of audit targets include:

• A health AI chatbot in East Africa
• An ocean AI tool in Southeast Asia
• An agricultural AI tool in West Africa
• A large language model (LLM) deployed in a non-English-dominant market

What the Fellowship Offers

Successful fellows will gain valuable experience and support:

• Dual mentorship from an academic collaborator and an AI industry professional.
• Training in Polyfoni’s specific Cultural Audit Method.
• Access to online masterclasses and monthly group sessions, supported by AI Mission Lab.
• A published research report on Polyfoni’s website and Making AI Listen (an open-access publication) under the fellow’s name.

Programme Duration and Location

This is a part-time research collaboration that runs remotely from November 2026 to March 2027. The total duration is four months. Fellows can join from anywhere in the world, provided they have fieldwork experience in a relevant region.

Minimum Requirements

To be eligible for the Polyfoni Fellowship, applicants should:

• Be interested in using their social science training to influence AI product development.
• Have fieldwork experience in a Global South context.
• Demonstrate an interest in technology careers.
• Have regional expertise with evidence of fieldwork. Priority regions include East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and China.
• Possess a clear motivation for working at the intersection of social science and AI.
• Have a concrete idea of which AI product they would audit.
• Be comfortable working in English. Additional languages are considered an advantage.

Prior AI experience is not required. There are no strict degree requirements, but candidates are expected to have relevant academic backgrounds such as anthropology, sociology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), development studies, political science, humanities, and area studies.

Competencies Required

The selection process will look for:

• Deep contextual knowledge of a place, community, or sector where AI is being deployed.
• A specific reason for wanting to work with social science and AI.
• The ability to commit approximately 5 hours per week to the audit.
• Diversity in region and discipline will be considered.

Who Should Apply?

This fellowship is ideal for social scientists who have practical fieldwork experience and are keen to explore the impact of AI in their regions of expertise. If you have a strong understanding of a specific community or sector and want to apply this knowledge to analyze AI products, this opportunity is for you. It suits individuals who are motivated to contribute to more responsible AI development and are comfortable working independently and collaboratively online.

Required Documents

Applicants will need to prepare the following for the initial application:

• A short application with a maximum of 500 words for motivation.

Successful candidates will be contacted for a CV review and then potentially an interview. Applicants should ensure they have an updated CV ready.

How to Apply

The application process involves two steps:

1. Initial Application: Submit a short application including your motivation (maximum 500 words).
2. Interview: Candidates who successfully pass the initial stage will be contacted for a CV review and then invited for an interview and research discussion with the Polyfoni team.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit the Polyfoni Social Sciences for AI Fellowship page.

Important Notes

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria, particularly regarding fieldwork experience and regional expertise.
• The fellowship requires a commitment of approximately 5 hours per week.
• Polyfoni aims to select for diversity across regions and disciplines.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications is October 15, 2026. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications well before this date.

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