Stephen Yang | Politics of Technology, Society, Environment

I'm Stephen Yang, a writer, researcher, and educator. My work traces the politics of technology, society, and environment.
‍
Presently, I'm a PhD candidate at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, where I'm supported by the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP).

I bring critical research to technology design and policy. I have held research appointments at Microsoft Research (Social Media Collective), Center for Democracy & Technology (AI Governance Lab), and Partnership on AI.

I'm always open to new connections and opportunities. You can find me on Bluesky or reach out to me at stepheny [at] usc [dot] edu.

With an eye on the interplay between technology, society, and (built) environments, my research traces the sociotechnical arrangements that (re)organize the milieus we inhabit. I trace how such arrangements rework what is noticed and acted on—and what is assumed, normalized, or backgrounded as conditions.
‍
My current research focuses on historical and contemporay cases where techniques of sensing and prediction are put to use. My ongoing dissertation work turns to the case of building management systems (BMS) in office buildings. Zooming in on the tensions between comfort and energy efficiency, I trace how the governance of energy, labor, and real estate development is fastened together in and around these systems.

Download my CV

2026

May 2026 - I just passed my qualifying exam, defended my dissertation prospectus, and advanced to PhD candidancy (ABD status)! Very thrilled about this next stage of my journey :)

2025

October 2025 - I will be presenting my work on speculative failure in the age of AI at the annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR). see you in Rio!
September 2025 - I'll be presenting my work on the paradoxes between longtermism and accelerationism at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)! See you in Seattle :)
January 2025 — I'm honored to be selected as a finalist for the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans! 77 finalists were selected from 2,617 applicants.
January 2025 — I presented my work, "Speculative Failure as Hopeful Contestation of AI Futures," as part of the Participatory AI - Research & Practice Symposium, an event organized by Connected by Data, Data & Society, and others ahead of the Paris AI Action Summit. Check out the recording here!

2024

Summer' 24 — I interned at the Center for Democracy & Technology, where I worked on AI policy research as part of the AI Governance Lab. Here's a research report I produced

Jan 2024 — As part of Data & Society's series on participatory methods series on AI design and accountability, I presented my EAAMO'23 paper on participatory approaches to AI design that I co-authored with Fernando Delgado, Michael Madaio, and Qian Yang!