2025–2026 CHT / RhetAI Research Challenge Teams
RhetAI Research Challenge Teams came from more than 12 countries across 6 continents and more than 40 companies and universities, including experts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, rhetoric, persuasion, computational linguistics, national defense, marketing, neuroscience, psychometrics, electrical engineering, computer science, communication, writing, UX, and more.
The Center for Humane Technology partnered with the RhetAI Coalition to form these research challenges. Teams conducted research and met regularly to discuss their work. At the end of each year-long challenge period, the RhetAI Coalition, in collaboration with CHT and the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University, released an open-access annual report detailing the findings of each group.
Team members' participation did not reflect commitment on the part of their employers, and their work with the Coalition was personal and voluntary. They did not speak on behalf of their employers or institutions. Affiliations below are provided for informational purposes only.
Challenge Question 1
How should we balance Freedom of Speech (viz., the right as claimed by tech companies to be free of government regulation into content moderation or product design) with Freedom of Thought in the age of social media, persuasive AI, and neurotech?
Jennifer Albanese(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Austin Bailey
Hunter College (CUNY)
Jonathan Conyers
NYU Langone Health and Brooklyn Debate League
Gerry Dozier
Auburn University
Fabian Erhardt
RhetAI Center at the University of Tübingen (Germany)
Tim Laquintano
Lafayette College
Barbara McCoy
Educator
Robert McMenemy
Software and Blockchain Developer (UK)
Liz Norrell
University of Mississippi
Roger Thompson(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Marc Watkins
University of Mississippi
Challenge Question 2
What new forms of deception and persuasion are possible using new technologies? What new terms might need to be developed to begin to discuss these kinds of vulnerabilities?
Simeon Ananou
Stony Brook University
John David
Virginia Military Institute
Huzaifa Dokaji
Stony Brook University
Stacey Finkelstein
Stony Brook University
Alexis Hart(co-chair)
Allegheny College
Uma Karmarkar
University of California—San Diego
Patrick Rhamey
Virginia Military Institute
Troy Siemers
Virginia Military Institute
Roberto Simanowski
Free University Berlin (Germany)
Roger Thompson(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Umair Usman
Florida International University
Rianna Walcott
Black Communication and Technology Lab at University of Maryland
Challenge Question 3
How do emerging technologies alter the ethics of persuasion and deception?
Kathryn Broyles(co-chair)
American Public University
Anne Burkhardt
Center for Rhetorical Science Communication Research on Artificial Intelligence at University of Tübingen (Germany)
Henry Chapman
Infegy
Laura Dumin
University of Central Oklahoma
Marina Falasca
I.E.S en Lenguas Vivas J.R.F. (Argentina)
Markus Gottschling(co-chair)
Center for Rhetorical Science Communication Research on Artificial Intelligence at University of Tübingen (Germany)
Aroona Khan
Stony Brook University
Peter Khost
Stony Brook University
Jen Santos
Grand Canyon University
Deniz Sarikaya
University of Lübeck (Germany)
Aaron Stern
Electric Kite
Michael Thompson
Cenet
Challenge Question 4
Where do the existing legal and social protections against deception (e.g. fraud, libel, slander, perjury, false-advertising, forgery, etc.) fail to offer substantive protections from emerging forms of tech & AI mediated deception?
Crystal Colombini(co-chair)
Fordham University
Dale Davis
Ultratech Capital Partners
Nita Farahany
Duke University
Dhruva Krishna
UCLA School of Law and Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Kamil Mamak
Jagiellonian University (Poland)
Charles McSoud
Gibbs Armstrong Borochoff P.C.
Jason Pitcock
JCP Advisory LLC
Michael Power
The Michael Power Company Limited (Canada)
Daniel Schiff
Governance and Responsible AI Lab (GRAIL) at Purdue University
Baasil Shariff
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Fabrizio Silvestri
University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Italy)
Roger Thompson(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Barbara Thompson
Baker Hughes
Challenge Question 5
How do human relationships with emerging technologies impact individual mental health and how we relate to each other, and what consequences does this have for policy and the ethics of design?
Ronni Burns
New York University
Cynthia Davidson(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Wilbur Farley
Stony Brook University
Anuj Gupta
University of Arizona
Brooke Hessler
StoryCenter
Kristina Lucenko(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Mary Martin
Educator and Futurist
Tim Riemann
United States Marine Corps
Margaret Schedel
Stony Brook University
Anna Sowa
Booz Allen Hamilton and ARPA-H
Michael Weisenburg
University of South Carolina
Challenge Question 6
How are emerging technologies and concentrations of power impacting institutions and the political order?
Drew Ashby-King
East Carolina University
Atin Basu
Virginia Military Institute
Hannibal Beauford
Delta Airlines
Anuj Gupta
University of Arizona
Katy Johnston(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Benjamin Miller
University of Sydney (Australia)
Nesrin Pervin
North South University (UK)
Matthew Salzano(co-chair)
Stony Brook University
Sara Santos
Stony Brook University
Challenge Question 7
How can technology foster trust and collaboration rather than polarization and violence?
Asya Achimova
University of Tübingen (Germany)
Okakekan Adepoju
College of Staten Island
Amy Anderson
West Chester University
Chris Basgier(co-chair)
Auburn University
Atin Basu
Virginia Military Institute
Stephanie Dinkins
Future Histories Studio and Stony Brook University
Ammon Haggerty
AI Consultant
Zoltan Majdik(co-chair)
North Dakota State University
Tyler Romaine
Writer
Shyam Sharma
Stony Brook University
Umair Usman
Florida International University
Lydia Wilkes
Auburn University
Challenge Question 8
How might global faith systems provide new approaches for understanding and negotiating AI's power of persuasion?
J. Scott Bryson
Mt. St. Mary's University
Ben Christensen(co-chair)
AI 2030
James Havens(co-chair)
IEEE
Tamara Lechner
AI for Human Flourishing
Grant Miller
Methodist Ministry
Yaw (Yao) Ofosu-Asare
Southern Cross University (Australia)
Christopher Peace
Carnegie Mellon University
Chase Redd
University of Maryland
Beth Singler
University of Zurich (Switzerland)
Phil Watkins
Statistical Consultant
2024 Summit Launch Team
The Founding Team includes leading figures in persuasion, language ethics, and rhetoric as well as key practitioners in AI and machine learning. Founding Team members were invited to participate in the inaugural 2024 Summit to help shape a proposed framework for ethical persuasion in AI.
Team members' participation did not reflect commitment on the part of their employers, and their work with the Coalition was personal and voluntary. They did not speak on behalf of their employers or institutions. Affiliations below are provided for informational purposes only.
Lois Agnew
Syracuse University
Tina Bryson
Founder, Center for Connection
J. Scott Bryson
Mount Saint Mary's University
Galen Buckwalter
Founder & CEO, psyML
Eric Burgess
Creative technologist; Founder, Credtent.org
Cynthia Davidson
Stony Brook University
Stephanie Dinkins
Professor and Kusama Endowed Chair, Stony Brook University
Tiane Donahue
Dartmouth College; Université de Lille (France)
Richard Enos
Texas Christian University
Markus Gottschling
University of Tübingen (Germany)
Derek Haas
Screenwriter, showrunner, and novelist (NBC Universal and Amazon)
Peter Khost
Stony Brook University
Olaf Kramer
University of Tübingen (Germany)
Laura Lindenfeld
Stony Brook University
Elizabeth Losh
William & Mary
Steven Mailloux
University of California, Irvine; Loyola Marymount University
Zoltan Majdik
North Dakota State University
Bill Marcellino
Pardee RAND Graduate School
Gwendolyn Pough
Syracuse University
Owen Rambow
Stony Brook University
Matthew Salzano
Stony Brook University
Shyam Sharma
Stony Brook University
Roger Thompson
Stony Brook University
Anton Treuer
Bemidji State University
Mark Woodard
Sandia National Laboratories
