Oxford AI and Media Policy Summer Institute

Applications for the 2026 Oxford AI and Media Policy Summer Institute are now open. Across two intensive weeks, participants will examine how power and legitimacy are asserted and challenged, whether through platform governance, content regulation, or AI supply chains. The Summer Institute will be held at Jesus College, Oxford, from July 20 – July 31, 2026.

Thematics

This year’s theme explores how sovereignty and multilateral cooperation are evolving within AI and media policy. It seeks to address the socio-legal questions that arise when authority is increasingly exercised and contested through digital systems.

• Participants will examine how power and legitimacy are asserted through platform governance, content regulation, and AI supply chains.
• Case discussions will explore a wide range of issues from internet shutdowns during elections in Uganda to debates around sovereign AI and cloud dependence in multiple contexts across the globe.
• The programme will also consider regulatory negotiations shaped by infrastructural constraints and inequality, with examples drawn from Brazil and South Africa.
• From a UK and European vantage point, sessions will reflect on regional developments including EU digital regulation and national approaches to online harms.
• It will simultaneously maintain a decisively global outlook with strong engagement from Global South perspectives.

What the programme offers

• The Institute brings together speakers from across academia, and leaders from policy, government, civil society, and the private sector.
• It will organise group discussions and provide opportunities to draw, and reflect, on participants’ professional experience and research agendas.
• It will offer a unique opportunity to pause, gain distance from day-to-day routines, and engage with new and diverse perspectives from around the world.

How to apply 

Candidates should submit applications using this application form. In case of questions, they can get in touch with the organisers at pcmlp@csls.ox.ac.uk. Applicants should apply by March 14, 2026 for an early decision. The final application deadline is April 21, 2026. The organisers recommend applying early, particularly if you require a visa to travel to the UK.

For more information, please visit this page.