Institute on AI Methods for Social Scientists (AIMS)
Artificial intelligence is transforming what social scientists can study, how they study it, and what questions are possible to ask.
The Summer Institute in AI Methods for Social Scientists (AIMS) brings together scholars from across the social sciences for an intensive week of learning, practice, and collaboration at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University. Participants learn ways to make use of AI methods in social science research. They leave with hands-on experience using AI tools, a concrete sense of how these methods apply to their own research, and a network of colleagues working at this frontier across the social sciences.
2026 Institute
The institute’s inaugural convening occurs during the week of July 26-31, 2026. The AIMS co-organizers are Noshir Contractor, Jane S. & William J. White Professor of Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, and Lara Tiedens, Sara Miller McCune Interim Director of CASBS.
They invite applications from scholars in the social sciences who study fundamental questions of human life and social organization, and who are early in their journey with AI methods but see it as an important direction of their research. Go to the AIMS call for applications to obtain details about eligibility, available support, institute structure and curriculum, participating faculty, and the application process. The deadline to apply is May 8, 2026.