The University of Cambridge is set to launch a new department later this year, focusing on how artificial intelligence (AI) can drive economic growth. The Bennett School of Public Policy will be the university’s first major new academic department of the 21st century.
The school will research AI’s applications in both the private and public sectors, aiming to equip policymakers with the skills to navigate an increasingly digital world. “The new school will harness Cambridge expertise from across the social, physical, and medical sciences to take on the most urgent policy challenges of our age,” said Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deborah Prentice.
Dame Diane Coyle, the Bennett professor of public policy, emphasized the need for a multidisciplinary approach to policymaking. “The era of making policy in silos… needs to be put behind us,” she said, highlighting the role of AI in shaping modern economies and governance.
The school will collaborate with businesses and the Civil Service on AI adoption and data governance, while also working to bring together UK mayors and regional leaders. It aims to foster a new generation of “tech-savvy” policymakers committed to inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
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