I'm Stephen Yang,
a media and AI researcher
Scroll down to learn more about who I am and what I do
Who's Stephen?
I'm Stephen Yang, a communication, human-computer interaction (HCI) and user experience (UX) researcher studying how AI are reshaping the ways we foster trust and authenticity on and through media.

If you're interested in following my thoughts or working with me, feel free to follow me on Twitter or reach out to me at stepeche.yang [at] gmail [dot] com.
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What am I doing?
I'm applying for doctoral (and pre-doctoral) positions for a Fall 2023 start! For my future research, I seek to investigate the new logic of agency and intelligence when generative artificial intelligence (AI) stand in for human producers to make value judgment in cultural production. I situate this inquiry within the broader conversations on the role of technologies in design and media production.

From writing assistants (e.g., Grammarly), text-to-image generators (e.g., OpenAI’s DALL-E), to “smart” design templates (e.g., Microsoft Designer), how do media producers – from journalists to social media creators – craft their authentic voice when adopting these tools?
In the past...
Most recently, I was a research intern at the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research New England, where I studied the social, economic, and organizational logic of content creation with Nancy Baym. You can read about our research here.

In May 2022, I graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, with a B.S. in Communication and Information Science. I graduated as the Degree Marshal of the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, a Merrill Presidential Scholar, and a Rawlings Presidential Research Scholar.
Recent Updates
Diversity and Inclusion
I'm a queer person of color growing up in a non-English-speaking household. As someone who have affiliations with elite institutions, I often sit in between marginality and privilege. To put my commitment to diversity and inclusion in practice, I actively seek ways to reduce barriers to success for those coming from marginalized backgrounds. This often translates to sharing tacit knowledge I acquired from prior experience and from my position of privilege.

Are you a marginalized scholar contemplating a research career? Send me an email with any questions you may have at stepeche.yang [at] gmail [dot] com.