An interdisciplinary home for responsible AI research
GRAIL is a nonprofit, university-affiliated research center focused on fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, empowering students, and driving rigorous research that answers critical questions facing policymakers and practitioners.
Governance and responsibility
Governance and responsibility
We support research on the social, ethical, and governance implications of artificial intelligence and other technologies that shape the public interest.
GRAIL brings together faculty, students, and partners to conduct collaborative research, exchange ideas across disciplines and sectors, and produce rigorous, impactful, policy-relevant work.
Governance
Collective efforts by policymakers, regulators, industry bodies, companies, media watchdogs, professional organizations, civil society, and individuals to shape how technology is developed and used.
Responsibility
The social, ethical, policy, and legal implications of technology for individuals, communities, society, and the natural world.
Technology
Artificial intelligence is our core focus, but our work extends to emerging and established technologies that affect the public interest.
Our foundational pillars are governance and responsibility, in the context of AI and other consequential technologies.
Governance Who shapes technology—and how
Governance includes the collective efforts of policymakers, regulators, industry bodies, companies, media watchdogs, professional organizations, civil society, and individuals to shape how technology is developed and used.
Responsibility What technology means for people and the world
Responsibility encompasses the social, ethical, policy, and legal implications of technology for individuals, communities, society, and the natural world.
Technology The context for the work
Artificial intelligence is our core focus, while our work also considers emerging and established technologies that affect the public interest.
Governance includes the collective efforts of policymakers, regulators, industry bodies, companies, media watchdogs, professional organizations, civil society, and individuals to shape how technology is developed and used.
Responsibility encompasses the social, ethical, policy, and legal implications of technology for individuals, communities, society, and the natural world.
AI is our core focus, but we also study other technologies that affect the public interest.
Based at Purdue GRAIL is hosted in Purdue University’s Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and is affiliated with Purdue’s Institute for Physical AI.
GRAIL researchers are among the earliest scholars in AI policy and AI ethics, with work dating to the 2000s.
Much of the AI research landscape emphasizes computer science, technical development, or international competition. GRAIL brings deep expertise in the social and domestic dimensions of AI: education, criminal justice, misinformation, the future of work, and the institutions that govern them.
Our members helped establish rigorous AI research in public policy, public administration, and political science. Today our community spans disciplines and sectors—but mentorship, collaboration, and community remain at the heart of the work. Students do not simply observe; they help lead. GRAIL is, at heart, a lab.
Our values
- 01
Centering collaboration and collegiality
- 02
Fostering interdisciplinarity and cross-sectoral engagement
- 03
Understanding the broader contexts in which we work, and addressing meaningful problems
- 04
Taking care of ourselves and each other
- 05
Supporting students and faculty goals, whatever those may be
- 06
Recognizing and celebrating one another
- 07
Advancing rigor and fair-mindedness in AI research, regardless of approach
- 08
Advancing public, industry, and policy impact
Our values
01Centering collaboration and collegiality
We treat research as a shared effort. Partnership, mentorship, and respect for the whole person matter as much as the work we produce.
02Fostering interdisciplinarity and cross-sectoral engagement
We bring together methods, theories, and perspectives from across academic fields—and from industry, government, nonprofits, and the communities affected by technology.
03Understanding broader contexts and meaningful problems
We look beyond narrow technical questions to the systemic and societal problems around them, and we remain willing to reformulate the questions we ask.
04Taking care of ourselves and each other
We support one another’s mental and physical well-being, communicate through conflict, and approach our work with civility and respect.
05Supporting student and faculty goals
Our members bring different professional, personal, and life goals to the lab. We help one another pursue them rather than assuming a single path.
06Recognizing and celebrating one another
We give credit, express thanks, and acknowledge both the visible achievements and the quieter contributions that sustain our community.
07Advancing rigor and fair-mindedness
We challenge assumptions and disciplinary blinders, use the methods best suited to the question, and do not begin by presupposing the answer.
08Advancing public, industry, and policy impact
We develop research and tools with practical value, listen to the people who may use them, and communicate through accessible events, briefs, media, and other public resources.
Centering collaboration and collegiality
We treat research as a shared effort. Partnership, mentorship, and respect for the whole person matter as much as the work we produce.
Fostering interdisciplinarity and cross-sectoral engagement
We bring together methods, theories, and perspectives from across academic fields—and from industry, government, nonprofits, and the communities affected by technology.
Understanding broader contexts and meaningful problems
We look beyond narrow technical questions to the systemic and societal problems around them, and we remain willing to reformulate the questions we ask.
Taking care of ourselves and each other
We support one another’s mental and physical well-being, communicate through conflict, and approach our work with civility and respect.
Supporting student and faculty goals
Our members bring different professional, personal, and life goals to the lab. We help one another pursue them rather than assuming a single path.
Recognizing and celebrating one another
We give credit, express thanks, and acknowledge both the visible achievements and the quieter contributions that sustain our community.
Advancing rigor and fair-mindedness
We challenge assumptions and disciplinary blinders, use the methods best suited to the question, and do not begin by presupposing the answer.
Advancing public, industry, and policy impact
We develop research and tools with practical value, listen to the people who may use them, and communicate through accessible events, briefs, media, and other public resources.
Values with consequences
Our values shape the questions we ask, the evidence we trust, and the kind of research community we build.
Centering collaboration and collegiality
We treat research as a shared effort. Partnership, mentorship, and respect for the whole person matter as much as the work we produce.
Understanding broader contexts and meaningful problems
We look beyond narrow technical questions to the systemic and societal problems around them, and we remain willing to reformulate the questions we ask.
Advancing rigor and fair-mindedness
We challenge assumptions and disciplinary blinders, use the methods best suited to the question, and do not begin by presupposing the answer.
Advancing public, industry, and policy impact
We develop research and tools with practical value, listen to the people who may use them, and communicate through accessible events, briefs, media, and other public resources.
Four more commitments to our community Expand
Fostering interdisciplinarity and cross-sectoral engagement
We bring together methods, theories, and perspectives from across academic fields—and from industry, government, nonprofits, and the communities affected by technology.
Taking care of ourselves and each other
We support one another’s mental and physical well-being, communicate through conflict, and approach our work with civility and respect.
Supporting student and faculty goals
Our members bring different professional, personal, and life goals to the lab. We help one another pursue them rather than assuming a single path.
Recognizing and celebrating one another
We give credit, express thanks, and acknowledge both the visible achievements and the quieter contributions that sustain our community.
GRAIL’s history and growth
GRAIL launches
The lab brings researchers together to study the social, ethical, and governance implications of artificial intelligence.
Mentorship across institutions
More than a dozen faculty from six universities and a wide range of disciplines help students develop research skills and professional direction.
Students shape the work
Students gain experience presenting research, collaborating across fields, and contributing to live debates about AI policy and practice.
Expanding our impact
We continue to grow our research partnerships, educational programs, and public-facing work while preserving the close community that defines the lab.
A young lab built on longstanding work
GRAIL launched in 2022, bringing together scholars whose work in AI policy and ethics reaches back to the 2000s. The lab grew around an enduring idea: students and faculty should investigate consequential technologies together, across disciplines and career stages.
Research, resources, mentorship, education, and public engagement
Interdisciplinary research
We conduct collaborative research through sustained labs and projects on AI governance, social consequences, and public accountability.
Public data and resources
We build public datasets, archives, and research infrastructure—including AGORA, AI SHARE, and PDID—to make evidence easier to find, compare, and use.
Student research and mentorship
Students and faculty work in vertically integrated teams, with weekly collaboration, research training, and opportunities to lead at every level.
Education
We develop courses and programs for students, policymakers, and professionals who want to engage seriously with responsible AI.
Public and policy engagement
We share findings and practical resources with academics, practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and the public.
Research and public resources
Interdisciplinary research. We conduct collaborative research through sustained labs and projects on AI governance, social consequences, and public accountability.
Public data and resources. We build public datasets, archives, and research infrastructure—including AGORA, AI SHARE, and PDID—to make evidence easier to find, compare, and use.
Student research and mentorship. Students and faculty work in vertically integrated teams, with weekly collaboration, research training, and opportunities to lead at every level.
Education. We develop courses and programs for students, policymakers, and professionals who want to engage seriously with responsible AI.
Public and policy engagement. We share findings and practical resources with academics, practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and the public.
Research and public resources
Interdisciplinary research. We conduct collaborative research through sustained labs and projects on AI governance, social consequences, and public accountability.
Public data and resources. We build public datasets, archives, and research infrastructure—including AGORA, AI SHARE, and PDID—to make evidence easier to find, compare, and use.
Student research and mentorship. Students and faculty work in vertically integrated teams, with weekly collaboration, research training, and opportunities to lead at every level.
Education. We develop courses and programs for students, policymakers, and professionals who want to engage seriously with responsible AI.
Public and policy engagement. We share findings and practical resources with academics, practitioners, policymakers, journalists, and the public.
GRAIL at Purdue University
GRAIL is hosted in Purdue University’s Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and is affiliated with Purdue’s Institute for Physical AI.
Connect with GRAIL
Connect with us about research collaboration, student opportunities, public engagement, media, or support for the lab.