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The Public Interest Technology Initiative at UMass (PIT@UMass) is now accepting applications for PIT Faculty Fellowships for the 2026-27 academic year. 

The theme for the fifth round of the annual program is “Fellowship is AI and the Future of Work.” Among the questions applicants’ projects may address include:

• What economic or social shifts emerge in a world in which fewer people have jobs?
• In what ways is AI reshaping our teaching, learning, and research?
• Which new roles and jobs are emerging at the human–AI interface?

PIT@UMass invites applications from faculty from every college and school, and will consider projects that:

• Engage in scholarship around responsible AI, AI literacy, and AI pedagogy for the public interest with a plan to publish results in the literature
• Conduct AI-focused or AI-enabled research with a focus on submitting a proposal to an external funder
• Develop a new experiential learning or capstone course eligible to be included in the PIT Undergraduate Certificate or Grad Certificate
• Add content on the public interest and responsible AI to an existing course, especially in elective courses eligible for the PIT Undergraduate Certificate or Grad Certificate

Fellows’ research, writing or course content development should promote Public Interest Technology and responsible AI by:

• Addressing complex real-world problems with public interest impacts (privacy, safety, security, equity, sustainability, ethical behavior, etc.)
• Involving the responsible use of information technologies
• Reducing cultural, economic, societal and other disparities

UMass Faculty may apply as individuals or as a team of two or three members who are working on the same Responsible AI project. Selected faculty or teams will be provided awards of up to $4,000 by their deans for demonstrated budgetary needs in course development, publication or research. Funding will also be available for groups of fellows to invite visiting speakers for a series of two to three public events on the topic of “Responsible AI.”

Applications are due by Friday, April 24. For more information or to apply, visit the PIT@UMass website.