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AI and human behaviour | BIT AUGMENT, ADOPT, ALIGN, ADAPT – Why behavioural science matters in an AI world

The final part of BIT’s new AI & Human Behaviour framework, Adapt, looks at how our interactions with AI shape society—and how organisations and policymakers can guide its impact responsibly. Download your copy: www.bi.team/publications...

AI is not just a technological shift; it is a societal one.

AI adoption is accelerating - but mostly happening reactively, outside organisational planning or governance. That creates risks, because the way we adapt to AI today will lock in the habits of tomorrow.

Old policy methods struggle with today’s complex challenges.

Learn how flexible, iterative ‘test and learn’ approaches help governments reduce risk, adapt fast, and deliver impactful public services with @bitglobal.bsky.social's new course.

🔗 Book your place now: https://bit.ly/463YRQg

AI and human behaviour | BIT AUGMENT, ADOPT, ALIGN, ADAPT – Why behavioural science matters in an AI world

Do we really understand how AI and humans interact?

The third part of BIT’s AI & human behaviour framework highlights the need to align AI with our values, intentions, and well-being, and shares new insights on how generative AI can shape human biases:
www.bi.team/publications...

Image reads: Align - understanding how AI and humans interact

The rise of conversational AI has created a giant real-world experiment in human-machine relationships.

For the first time, we are not just using AI as a tool; we are interacting with it, confiding in it, and being influenced by it in ways we are only beginning to understand.

AI and human behaviour | BIT AUGMENT, ADOPT, ALIGN, ADAPT – Why behavioural science matters in an AI world

The second part of our AI and human behaviour series explains how insights from human cognition can unlock new ways of designing AI.

Read Augment:
www.bi.team/insights/pub...

Most generative AI models are skilled fast thinkers – but they also inherit some of the same biases as human intuition.

For AI to advance, developers need to design systems that reliably choose when to think fast or think slow - adapting their approach to the task at hand.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for #PolicyLive!

More than 400 guests joined us in Westminster to explore how to do policy differently and solve the UK's most pressing challenges.

🎥 Watch back a selection of our sessions now: https://www.policylive.org/nesta/332/82846

Why do people choose to use or resist AI?

The first chapter in our new four-part framework - AI & human behaviour - looks at what drives or holds back AI adoption, and how leaders can encourage deep integration of AI that complements and enhances human work.

bit.ly/46hqWm8

Policy Live is back for 2025: and registration is now open 🎉

Join us on 11 Sept in central London for our full-day programme: with over 60 speakers exploring how to do policy differently - including Wes Streeting, Nicola Sturgeon and more.

Tickets are limited, apply now: bit.ly/4m0j4fx

📱 Why does 'just 5 mins' on social media turn into an hour?

Our behavioural audit for @ofcom.bsky.social found major platforms use design to maximise engagement—often at the cost of user well-being.

Here’s how better design could support healthier, more intentional online habits 👇 bit.ly/4kKu3rL

Why behavioural insights matter for policing today | BIT Policing today demands more than enforcement. It requires proactive prevention, early intervention and building trust with communities. Yet many policing challenges hinge on human behaviour: victims e...

Policing today is about more than enforcement – it’s about prevention, early action and building trust.

We worked with officers and staff at @cheshirepolice.bsky.social to explore how behavioural insights can improve everyday decision-making and service delivery.

Read more: bit.ly/44rc2Zu

Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms | BIT Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, dives deep into the science behind these shifts - asking the question ‘What...

🎧 New BIT podcast: How do social norms shift and what role can behavioural science play?

Recorded live at #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, our Chief Behavioural Scientist @mhallsworth.bsky.social speaks with global experts on what drives change in societies, systems & institutions.

⬇️ Tune in: bit.ly/4ltzbkU

🚨 We're hiring! We're looking for a Senior Research Advisor to join our Economic Policy team in the UK.

We’re looking for someone with strong quantitative skills and a passion for using evidence to help people make better decisions.

👇 Find out more and apply by 14 July: bit.ly/4k2pRmU

What makes nations succeed? Insights from Nobel Laureate Professor James Robinson | BIT Join Mónica Wills Silva, BIT’s Director of International Programmes, as she sits down with Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson, to hear his insights on how inclusive political insti...

What sets successful nations apart?

Earlier this year Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson joined us to share his insights on how inclusive political institutions and innovation drive sustainable economic growth.

🎧 Listen now on the BIT podcast: bit.ly/4kB9eQc

Using behavioural science to address maternal and infant malnutrition in Tajikistan | BIT Breastfeeding within an hour of birth, eating nutritious meals during pregnancy and lactation, and feeding children over six months a diverse, nutrient-rich diet are globally recommended practices for...

🇹🇯 Behavioural science to address malnutrition

UNICEF Tajikistan partnered with BIT to develop a social and behaviour change strategy to help mothers adopt recommended breastfeeding and dietary practices.

See our solutions and messaging👇 bit.ly/45IaUTo

Young people’s gambling-related experience during major sports events: A Euro 2024 diary-study | BIT Major sports events are a popular source of entertainment and social connection for young people in the UK. Gambling has become an increasingly prominent feature of these events, driven by media cover...

⚽ What are young people's gambling-related experiences during major sports events?

During Euro 2024, BIT partnered with young people to explore how gambling impacts their tournament experience and what influences their behaviour.

Here's what we found: bit.ly/3ZGCBbs

How do friendships affect social mobility. I wrote in @financialtimes.com about research from BIT colleagues replicating Raj Chetty's US work analysing facebook data. Perhaps the department with communities in its name can run trials on cross-class interaction, and reducing 'friending bias'.

📣 New event: Science, psychedelics, and society

Join Nesta’s @raviguru.bsky.social and @ikhan.bsky.social‬, former Exec Director of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, as they unpack the science, politics & future of psychedelics.

Register now: bit.ly/43BgwNP

How is AI being used to create new ways to apply behavioural science? | BIT Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, explores how is AI being used to create new ways to apply behavioural scien...

🎧 New podcast: How is AI creating new ways to apply behavioural science?

Recorded live at #BX2025, @mhallsworth.bsky.social explores the next frontier of the field with some of its most innovative practitioners.

🎙️ Listen here: bit.ly/4mkfbmd

New paper: Fixing the Holes in Economics

Ahead of BIT’s inaugural President’s Lecture, David Halpern explores how behavioural and institutional insights are challenging economic models - and how this could reshape policymaking.

Read the full paper: bit.ly/430ireS

How can funders strengthen anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria? | BIT BIT ran a capacity-building program to help MacArthur Foundation grantees learn behavioural science and human-centred design skills so they could better combat corruption

New case study: combatting corruption in Nigeria ⚖️

BIT, @macfound.org and Griot Studios trained 40+ Nigerian orgs in behavioural science and user testing to enhance anti-corruption efforts.

Read the case study 👇 bit.ly/4j8q8Ez

Why Simplicity Can Be Strength in a Complex World - by Michael Hallsworth - Behavioral Scientist As intuitive as it seems, a complicated approach to behavioral design may not be the best response to complexity.

As intuitive as it seems, creating a complicated approach may not be the best response to complexity.

@mhallsworth.bsky.social writes about the value of simplicity in applied behavioural science - in a world wrestling with personalisation, generative AI and complex adaptive systems 👇 bit.ly/4j2joIn

Differing terminology used to describe antimicrobial resistance can influence comprehension and subsequent behavioural intent - Communications Medicine Grailey et al. investigate the impact of different terminologies used to describe AMR, testing terms co-designed with the public. Terminology that is familiar, such as the inclusion of ‘antibiotics’ c...

🚨New paper in Nature: Clearer language boosts public understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

In a trial with 4,000+ UK adults, phrases like 'antibiotic resistance' and 'antibiotic crisis' outperformed technical terms–improving understanding and intent to act.

🔗 go.nature.com/3YmM4nY

How can behavioural insights boost malaria vaccine uptake? | BIT Behavioural science has extraordinary potential to supercharge malaria vaccine rollouts currently underway across Sub-Saharan Africa.  Almost 20 countries across the African continent are embarking on...

Malaria vaccines could save millions of lives across Sub-Saharan Africa – but rollout success depends on more than supply. Uptake is key.

At BIT, we’ve used behavioural science to boost vaccine uptake worldwide. For #WorldImmunizationWeek, we explore how it can help here too: bit.ly/4lQaoII

Behavioural science and rigour at the last mile of aid | BIT A mother takes their child for their immunisations. After vaccine funds were suddenly cut, it has taken months to get the supply over the border, transport it over to their region, distribute it over the clinics and reappoint dismissed community health workers. The mother gets there but she has lost the child’s vaccination card. Her […]

💉For #WorldImmunizationWeek BIT's @mowills.bsky.social shares why the last mile of vaccine delivery matters more than ever.

At BIT, we use behavioural science to help partners boost uptake and impact. Read how we can make every dose count ⬇️ bit.ly/3RzzrSG

Public services face mounting pressures and public finances are constrained. Test and learn is critical for the government to cost-effectively deliver on its missions. helping to navigate the uncertainties of addressing complex problems and accelerate the delivery of impactful solutions.

The UK government already has many of the building blocks required to work in a test and learn way - including the joint Cabinet Office-Treasury Evaluation Task Force, a £100m reform fund and essential skills. But embedding it at scale will require changes to how government works.

In conventional government policymaking and delivery, most of the big choices are made at the beginning of a programme. A test and learn approach would see policies, programmes and services adapt and evolve based on early and ongoing data and evidence.

Test and learn: a playbook for mission-driven government | BIT The UK government has pledged to deliver bold new missions – ambitious, long-term commitments to tackle critical societal challenges. These promises will resonate strongly with many public servants wh...

The UK govt needs to adopt a different way of working to achieve its bold new missions.

Policies need to be reviewed and improved via a test and learn approach.

BIT + @nestauk.bsky.social new playbook explains this approach and how it can deliver impactful solutions 👇 www.bi.team/publications...