Social Tech Trust, EY Foundation, and the Social Mobility Commission have joined forces to shape a new Challenge Prize focused on AI and social mobility.

Our shared ambition is to explore how AI and emerging technologies can unlock fairer opportunities for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, ensuring that technological progress works for everyone, not just a few.

To design the prize, we convened a diverse group of stakeholders — young people, educators, policymakers, tech founders, researchers, and employers — to co-create an inclusive challenge that puts young people’s voices at the centre. Their insights highlighted both the barriers they face and the potential of innovation to drive systems-level change in education, skills development, and employment pathways.

This collaborative process not only surfaced pressing challenges but also sparked bold ideas for how technology can level the playing field. It revealed the need for new solutions that bridge the gap between opportunity and talent, tackling structural barriers that hold young people back.

The culmination of this work is our scoping paper: From Insight to Action: Launching a Challenge Prize for AI & Social Mobility. The paper captures emerging themes, innovation gaps, and areas with the greatest potential for meaningful intervention, setting the stage for a transformative prize that empowers the next generation.

Download the scoping paper here.