People
Updated 05/18/26Director
Director of Research
Research Affiliate
Legal Frontiers’ Winter Research Fellow
Summer Research Fellow
Senior Research Affiliate
Director of US Policy
Senior Research Fellow
Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
- $2,055,293
- Current Runway
- -
- Funding Goal
- -
- Funding Raised to Date
- $11,181,672
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26The Legal Priorities Project (LPP) was founded in late 2019 by a group of researchers from Harvard University, with the original idea emerging from the Effective Altruism group at Harvard Law School in Fall 2018. The founding team included Christoph Winter, Cullen O'Keefe, Eric Martinez, and Jonas Schuett. The organization was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 85-1024198) with tax-exempt status effective August 2020. Originally, LPP's mission was to conduct and support legal research tackling the world's most pressing problems, with a focus on the protection of future generations. Its research spanned AI governance, synthetic biology risks, extreme climate risks, and institutional design. The organization aimed to establish "legal priorities research" as a new academic field, influenced by longtermist and effective altruist thinking. In February 2024, the organization rebranded as the Institute for Law & AI (LawAI), reflecting a strategic shift to concentrate specifically on the legal challenges posed by artificial intelligence. Under this sharpened focus, LawAI operates as an independent think tank that researches and advises on AI governance, believing that sound legal analysis will promote security, welfare, and the rule of law. LawAI's core activities span five areas: foundational research on regulatory tools and AI governance institutions; policy briefings evaluating specific regulatory proposals; historical analysis of emerging technology legislation; direct guidance to policymakers on drafting AI regulations; and professional development for legal experts in AI governance. The organization has published extensively, with peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, a working paper series on SSRN, and a book under contract with Oxford University Press. Key programs include the Legal Priorities Summer Institute, which has attracted hundreds of applications from law students at top global law schools, and the Summer Research Fellowship, which provides paid research opportunities for law students, professionals, and academics working at the intersection of law and AI. The organization has built the Law and Longtermism Network with several hundred members and maintains a newsletter with over a thousand subscribers. The team has grown significantly, from roughly 7 FTE in early 2023 to approximately 30 core staff members plus 9 research affiliates by 2025-2026. Key leadership includes Christoph Winter as Director (also Assistant Professor of Law and AI at Cambridge University), Cullen O'Keefe as Director of Research, Mackenzie Arnold as Director of US Policy, and Matthijs Maas as Senior Research Fellow. The board includes Winter, O'Keefe, Martinez, Jade Leung, and Jonas Schuett. The organization has received grants from Open Philanthropy for general support, its Summer Research Fellowship, and litigation research. Founders Pledge has recommended LawAI as a charity for its comprehensive approach to AI governance challenges. The organization experienced substantial revenue growth in 2024, reflecting increasing recognition of the importance of AI law and governance work.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26LawAI believes that as AI systems become more powerful and widely deployed, the legal and regulatory frameworks governing them will be critically important for ensuring these systems are safe, beneficial, and consistent with the rule of law. Their theory of change operates on multiple levels: producing foundational research that improves policymakers' understanding of AI governance questions; providing direct advisory services to governments and international organizations drafting AI regulations, so that laws are well-designed rather than counterproductive; training the next generation of legal experts in AI governance through fellowships and educational programs, building a pipeline of talent for this critically understaffed field; and publishing research that shapes academic and policy discourse on how legal systems should respond to advanced AI. By combining rigorous legal scholarship with practical policy engagement and field-building, they aim to ensure that legal frameworks are in place to mitigate catastrophic risks from AI while supporting beneficial development.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects
Updated 05/18/26
LawAI’s Seasonal Research Fellowships offer law students, professionals, and academics remote‑first Summer and Winter research positions to work on AI, law, and policy across U.S. Law & Policy, EU Law, and Legal Frontiers tracks.
An intensive Summer Institute run by LawAI that brings together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for talks, fireside chats, and Q&As on core questions in AI law and policy, including AI liability, compute regulation, and the role of legal institutions.
Discussion
Key risk: Their rapid scale-up from ~7 to ~30 staff and broad program scope create execution and focus risks—research quality and policy uptake may lag, with marginal work duplicating other governance orgs and limited evidence that their analyses will translate into binding, safety-critical regulations.
Case for funding: LawAI couples rigorous AI-law research with direct government advisory and a proven talent pipeline (Summer Institute/Fellowships), positioning an experienced team (Winter, O'Keefe, Arnold, Maas, Leung) to shape concrete regulatory tools and governance institutions at the moment when frontier AI law is being written.