Through Social Digital Twins, ALC advances research on data, AI, and collective intelligence with top knowledge centers in the US, highlighting the need to ground technology in cultural understanding and systemic social innovation.

From September 22 to 30, the Agirre Lehendakaria Center (ALC) carried out an intensive series of meetings and exchanges in New York and Boston to reinforce its collaboration with Columbia University and advance the research on the conceptualization of Social Digital Twins (SDTs).

The program was closely connected with ALC’s long-standing work on narrative analysis, peacebuilding, and anticipatory governance, reinforcing the idea that technology must always be grounded in social and cultural understanding. A central focus of the visit was the potential of Social Digital Twins (SDTs) as an emerging paradigm. Unlike traditional digital twins that replicate physical assets, SDTs aim to represent evolving social systems—capturing narratives, perceptions, and relationships in real time. This capacity makes it possible to anticipate risks, explore scenarios, and co-create responses in ways that are more adaptive and culturally sensitive.

ALC’s agenda included sessions with several departments across Columbia University, spanning business, engineering, and data sciences. These conversations focused on how adaptive governance, collective intelligence, and artificial intelligence can converge to support innovation portfolios addressing complex social missions. The exchanges in New York also extended to leading research hubs such as Google Research and Microsoft Research Lab, where discussions revolved around ethical AI, data infrastructures, inclusive design, and included a lecture on complex social issues at the School of Engineering.

In Boston, the agenda extended to the MIT Media Lab, with visits to the City Science Lab and the Center for Constructive Communication (CCC), as well as exchanges with the Harvard Sociology Department, among others. These discussions highlighted opportunities to connect advanced computational approaches with community-based experimentation and systemic social innovation.