Impact AI Fellowship 2027

The Impact AI Fellowship is a ten-week programme for people who want to assess the real effects of artificial intelligence on society and the environment. It is organised by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), whose Impact AI project works with Greenpeace Germany and Economy for the Common Good. Fellows will learn the Impact AI Method and use it to complete an assessment of a real-world AI-for-good project. The work covers interview preparation, data collection and analysis, and a final assessment report. The programme combines workshops, expert input, peer exchange, independent research and individual guidance from the Impact AI team. The fellowship runs from 16 August to 22 October 2027. A mandatory online preparatory session takes place on 11 May 2027. Weeks 1 and 7 are full-time and in person at HIIG in Berlin, while the other weeks may be completed part-time and remotely under individually agreed conditions. Attendance at all in-person sessions and regular online check-ins is compulsory. Each fellow receives a fixed stipend of €5,000 for the ten-week period, including any tax or social-security costs that may apply in the fellow's country of origin. HIIG will also support necessary travel and accommodation costs individually and as far as its capacity allows. Health insurance, visas, meals and other expenses remain the fellow's responsibility, although exceptional additional support may be considered. Fellows receive training, supervision, an interdisciplinary peer-learning environment, lead authorship of a case report and possible future collaboration or publication opportunities. Applicants must complete the online form and upload one combined file containing a CV of no more than four pages and a motivation letter of no more than two pages. The letter should explain the applicant's AI expertise, organisational background and, where relevant, their organisation's motivation. Applicants proposing a specific AI project may add a project description of no more than two pages, but proposing a project is optional. Applications close on 15 January 2027. The organiser has not stated a deadline time, so applicants should submit early.

Applicants may work in academia, journalism, civil society, public institutions or companies and should be engaged with AI, sustainability or the public interest. A master's degree is required. Professional or research experience in the field is beneficial, but an academic publication record is not mandatory. Applicants should have a strong interest in research, be able to learn and apply a complex method rigorously, work both collaboratively and independently, and demonstrate commitment and reliability. Selected fellows must attend the mandatory online preparation session on 11 May 2027, the full-time in-person weeks in Berlin from 16 to 20 August and 4 to 8 October, all regular online check-ins, and complete the agreed outputs. Applicants may propose an AI project to assess, but this is optional.