By: Jennifer Jun, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communication
Dr. Sue Anne Teo, Researcher at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI), has been awarded two major research grants to advance the understanding of artificial intelligence and its implications for human vulnerability and human rights protection.
The first grant, a sum of SEK 6 million (€540,000), comes from the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation) for the project “Anthropomorphic AI and Emergent Vulnerabilities: An Empirically Informed Legal Evaluation of the Protection of Users of AI Chatbots (AAI)”. The interdisciplinary research will explore how human-like AI systems shape users’ emotional, psychological, and social vulnerabilities, and how legal frameworks can evolve to ensure adequate protection.
The project is led by Dr. Teo as Principal Investigator, together with Professor Mia Liinason and Associate Senior Lecturer Karen Louise Grova Søilen, whose expertise in gender and surveillance studies will inform the project’s empirical and theoretical dimensions. The study includes a longitudinal component to assess emerging vulnerabilities over time and their implications for law and policy.
In a statement, Dr. Teo expressed deep gratitude to the international peer reviewers who described the project’s theoretical and empirical designs as “exemplary”, strongly recommending it for funding. “This is a vote of confidence that I do not take lightly,” she noted. “It’s an incredible opportunity to lead such an interdisciplinary project, and I’m grateful to my co-applicants for their collaboration and expertise.”
Adding to this achievement, Dr. Teo has also been awarded a SEK 2.3 million (€210,000) Starting Grant from Forte, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare. This grant supports early-career researchers conducting high-quality projects with relevance to social and health-related issues.
Morten Koch Andersen, Head of Research and Education at RWI, congratulated Dr. Teo on the dual recognition: “Sue Anne’s success is a remarkable achievement that reflects both her intellectual ambition and her ability to bridge disciplines. Her work is timely and vital as we seek to understand how technologies that increasingly mimic human traits affect human rights, autonomy, and wellbeing. These grants affirm the growing importance of RWI’s research in addressing complex societal and ethical challenges emerging from digital transformations.”
Together, these two awards mark a significant milestone in Dr. Teo’s research trajectory and underscore RWI’s growing role at the intersection of technology, human rights, and law.
Learn more:
- Dr. Sue Anne Teo’s Research Profile Page
- Riksbankens Jubileumsfond Project Page
- Forte Starting Grants 2025