Why do we need a new MSc in Law, Governance and AI?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the institutions, professions, and systems through which society is governed. Its growing use creates major opportunities, but also raises difficult questions about accountability, fairness, public value, legal responsibility, and democratic oversight.
The new MSc programme in Law, Governance and Artificial Intelligence brings together the University of Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations and Faculty of Law. It offers a 12-month integrated programme for students who want to understand how AI systems operate, how they are regulated, how they affect legal and political decision-making, and how responsible approaches to their design and use can be developed.
The course combines rigorous study of law, governance, politics, and regulation with practical computational learning.
Where law, governance and AI meet – hear more from Course Director, DPIR’s Professor Ben Ansell:
Who is this programme for?
The programme is intended for applicants from a range of academic and professional backgrounds. It will be particularly relevant to graduates and professionals in law, public policy, government, regulation, risk, compliance, consulting, technology, data, international organisations, and responsible innovation.
Students will develop a shared vocabulary across disciplines, engage critically with the ethical and institutional implications of AI, and apply their learning through a practical group project focused on a real-world legal, governance or social challenge.
The MSc reflects DPIR's long-standing expertise in the study of democratic institutions, public policy, and global governance, while drawing on the Faculty of Law's leadership in public law, regulation, and technology. Together, the programme offers students a distinctive interdisciplinary education designed to meet the growing demand for expertise at the intersection of AI, governance, and public decision-making.
Graduates and professionals from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds will be eligible to apply.
The programme is designed for those seeking careers in government, international organisations, public policy, regulation, law, civil society, and the private sector, where understanding the governance of AI is becoming increasingly essential.
Course Directors
Ben Ansell, Professor of Comparative Democratic Institutions, Department of Politics and International Relations
Rebecca Williams, Professor of Public Law and Criminal Law, Faculty of Law.
AI raises fundamental questions about how societies make decisions, how institutions respond to change, and how democratic systems can remain accountable in the face of new technological power. These are fundamentally questions of governance.
This programme gives students the tools to understand those challenges from multiple perspectives, combining political science, law and technical understanding so they can contribute to the responsible development and governance of AI in public life."
Professor Ben Ansell
The 12-month, full-time course will welcome its first cohort in the 2027–28 academic year, with applications opening soon.
Find out more and about the course and register your interest.
Jointly delivered by:
