The AEAI Lab
Advancing economic measurement with frontier AI
Advancing economic measurement with frontier AI. Open-access research, training resources, and a summer fellowship for early-career researchers.
About the Lab
The Applied Economics AI Lab was founded in 2022 at the LSE Centre for Economic Performance. Our mission is to advance research in economics using novel Big Data and AI/ML tools.
We build large open-access datasets from unconventional sources that help inform academic and policy research on a wide range of topics. We publish data insights, develop publicly available guides for using advanced computational tools and generative AI in economics research, and operate an annual summer fellowship programme to train research fellows in cutting-edge methodologies.
Using Generative AI in Economics Research
A practical guide to deploying large language models for data extraction, classification, and construction in applied economics research.
Cloud Computing for Economists
Setting up and using cloud infrastructure for large-scale data processing — from basic compute instances to distributed pipelines.
Working with Administrative Data
Best practices for using administrative records in economic research, including data access, linking, and common pitfalls.
Reproducible Research Workflows
How to structure your research project for reproducibility using version control, containerisation, and documentation standards.
Summer Fellowship
Our annual summer fellowship programme brings together talented early-career researchers for intensive training in frontier AI and data methodologies applied to economics.
Fellows work alongside our senior researchers on real data construction and analysis projects, gaining hands-on experience with large language models, NLP pipelines, cloud computing, and reproducible research workflows. The programme is designed to bridge the gap between academic training and the practical skills needed to work with modern AI tools in economics research.