AI Agents

Developing agentic AI frameworks grounded in consumer-centric values for social science research and to advance human interests.

The future of commerce looks to be dominated by AI. Autonomous agents have already begun representing businesses and consumers in their transactions. They’ve also become powerful tools for social science, enabling large-scale experimentation and other research innovations. The impact of AI agents will only grow, as they continue to shape decisions across business, government, and everyday life.

The Stanford Digital Economy Lab believes these systems must reflect human values, essential for trust, accountability, and effective governance. Our world-class researchers are at the forefront of developing the economic, technical, and legal foundations for AI systems that reliably represent their users’ best interests while maintaining transparency, whether negotiating a simple purchase or performing wide-reaching data analysis.

At a crucial time for the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, our team is building a foundation for safe, reliable, and effective AI advocacy.

Through research focused on democratized access to powerful AI systems, as well as safeguards that prevent existing inequalities from increasing, we’re working toward a future of equitable AI representation. Whether the transaction is business-to-business or business-to-consumer, we believe that ensuring fair outcomes from AI agents is the best path to both shared prosperity and human well-being.