INSEAD has launched a Singapore-based research lab to study how AI is changing learning, working and relationships, backed by US$3 million from Google.org and Google DeepMind. The new Thrive Lab will fund researchers and build partnerships, putting human well-being on the AI research agenda alongside productivity.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
INSEAD announced the Research Lab for Human and Organisational Thriving, or Thrive Lab, on 30 October at its AI Forum Asia in Singapore. The school says Winnie Jiang, an associate professor of organisational behaviour at its Singapore campus, will be the lab’s academic director.
The lab is housed within INSEAD’s Human and Machine Intelligence Institute. Its plans include a PhD research award, a postdoctoral fellowship, an annual global conference, and work with organisations, schools and governments. INSEAD says the research will cover learning, working and relating, including how people and organisations can thrive amid rapid technological change. The report in The Straits Times puts the backing at US$3 million.
Why it matters
AI’s effects on work and daily life are often discussed through productivity figures and product launches. This lab proposes to study a wider set of outcomes, including relationships, meaning and well-being. Its fellowships and partnerships could also bring researchers and organisations together to test those questions beyond the conference circuit.
That is the plan, not a set of findings: the lab has only just launched. The useful next measure will be whether it produces research that helps people make concrete decisions, rather than simply adding another institute to the AI landscape.
Our read
The funding gives this a proper start, and the focus is welcome: whether people thrive is a more interesting question than whether a new tool can shave minutes off a task. But a thoughtful mission statement is only the opening chapter. The research, methods and real-world impact are what will earn the lab its place.
What to watch
- What research questions and projects the lab funds first.
- Whether its work produces practical guidance for schools, employers or governments.
- How the lab measures well-being and human capability alongside productivity.
Discussion spark: Should AI research measure success by productivity, or give equal weight to whether people build meaningful work and stronger relationships?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (30 October 2026, 09:32 UTC)
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