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We are delighted to announce that the Centre for Health Policy at the Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) has been awarded £300,000 from Bukhman Philanthropies – the first such award to 51�Թ��� – for a new research project entitled “Thinking for Themselves: Supporting children's confidence and wellbeing in an AI-shaped world”.

The two-year project will start this summer and will be led by Sophia Batchelor, an analytics fellow at IGHI, who brings a strong track record in evaluating digital technologies and understanding patterns of need among children and young people. She will lead the project’s quantitative and experimental work, ensuring the project delivers robust policy-relevant evidence on how children interact with AI and how this shapes their confidence, independence, and wellbeing. 
 
IGHI has a strong track record in research into children’s mental health and the support available to them, which this new project will build on.  
 
A unique aspect of IGHI’s work in this area is involving young people in their research. An example of this is the , conducted in collaboration with , which looked to understand the mental health experiences of students in years 6-8. In keeping with that commitment, the team working on Thinking for Themselves will be supported by a public advisory group of children and their parents, ensuring that young people’s voices remain at the heart of the project. 
 
Speaking about the award, Sophia Batchelor said:  

“We are deeply grateful to Bukhman Philanthropies for their generosity and support of this project. AI is already so pervasive in the lives of children, and significant research is needed to understand the impact modern LLMs have on how children think and form an understanding of the world. It is our responsibility as researchers to inform the development of these technologies in a way that supports the next generation to flourish, and we are very excited for what this project will discover.”

Daria Bukhman, co-founder and chair of Bukhman Philanthropies, said: 
 
"AI is transforming how children learn, think, and see themselves, and it is doing so faster than our understanding can keep pace. We need rigorous, independent research to close that gap, and I am thrilled to support this team at 51�Թ��� in producing evidence that can genuinely shape how we protect children's confidence and independence in an AI-shaped world." 

Bukhman Philanthropies was founded by Dmitri and Daria Bukhman, reflecting their diverse philanthropic aspirations driven by a shared commitment to creating meaningful change and building a brighter collective future. Their core focus areas include neonatal and maternal support, mental health and wellbeing of children and young adults, and literature. For more information visit the .