Gopnik, Farrell and Evans: We urgently need social science to understand AI's impact
AlisonGopnik · x · 2026-09-06
Cognitive scientist Alison Gopnik, together with Henry Farrell and James Evans, published an op-ed in The New York Times arguing that the social sciences are urgently needed to understand AI and its societal impact. The authors contend that AI's real consequences lie in how it reshapes human cognition, organizations, and social structures — precisely the questions social science studies — at a moment when these disciplines face being defunded, which would leave society less prepared for AI-driven change.
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