New project to research AI’s impact on migrant access to welfare
Digital Welfare Borders (DIGIWEB) is the first interdisciplinary and international study to systematically and comparatively analyse how AI connects welfare governance with migration management.
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Image by Jamillah Knowles & Digit / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Across Europe, welfare systems are becoming increasingly digitalised. AI is being used to analyse large datasets to predict ‘risk’ and guide decisions about who can access support, in what is often called ‘automated decision making’.
With the promise of efficiency, these technologies raise serious concerns about bias, discrimination, and accountability, particularly for residents who have a migration background.
Prof Rachel Humphris, who is leading the project said: “DIGIWEB will examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping welfare systems with potential transformations in how states govern migration.”
“The project will address three central questions, how do AI systems shape welfare decisions for non-nationals, how are these decisions implemented by frontline workers, and what are the wider implications of AI-driven welfare systems.”
Rather than studying welfare or migration in isolation, DIGIWEB will combine data science, policy research and in-depth ethnography to centre the lived experience of migrants encountering AI systems.
Rachel said: “By exploring migrants’ experiences, responses and resistance strategies in parallel with the transformation of welfare states in the digital era, the project will produce new knowledge on the functioning and impact of welfare AI systems.
“We hope that the project’s outcomes will help to create practical insights for policymakers and practitioners to support more responsible and equitable uses of AI.”
Using data from the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Sweden, the project takes an international approach to analyse different welfare models to identify both national differences and broader patterns.
DIGIWEB is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant, and will run between 2026 and 2031.
Visit the DIGIWEB official project page