Digital Intelligence Lab Research Archive
Digital Intelligence Lab
The Digital Intelligence Laboratory at the Institute for the Future is a social scientific research entity conducting work on the most pressing issues at the intersection of technology and society. We examine how new technologies and media can be used to both benefit, and challenge, democratic communication.
Our team of researchers and fellows works at the cutting edge of online propaganda. We use qualitative and quantitative methods to study the broader flow of socio-political information on and offline.
We report on the ways that social media bots—automated profiles on platforms like Facebook or Youtube that look and communicate like real people—have been used to manipulate public opinion during key political events. We also study how tools like bots can be used for the benefit of society. The Digital Intelligence Lab produces research and incubates cutting edge tools—both technical and social—that aim to educate and protect society in the face of such problems.
Our work is fundamentally forward facing.
We are collaborative at our core, partnering with outside researchers, civil society groups, policy makers, technology companies, democracy activists, and journalists to ensure that our findings have real-world impact.
Current collaborators include the Computational Propaganda Project at the University of Oxford to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Work with the DigIntel Lab
We are always thinking of new ways to examine Digital Intelligence and Computational Propaganda.
Some questions that are guiding our continuing research are:- How can we design technology for democracy?
- Could bots, for instance, be used as digital scaffolding for activist groups, journalists, or educators?
- Could similar tools be used to create an early warning system for propaganda or harassment campaigns?
Are you interested in engaging with the DigIntel Lab?
