Research Challenge Teams

2025 CHT/RHETAI

Research Challenge Teams

RhetAI Research Challenge Teams come from more than 15 countries across 5 continents and more than 40 companies and universities. They include 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 of Humane Technology partners with the RhetAI Coalition to form these research challenges, and teams conduct research and meet regularly to discuss their work. At the end of each year-long challenge period, the RhetAI Coalition, in collaboration with the CHT and the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University releases an open-access annual report detailing the findings of each group.

New teams are convened annually. If you are interested in joining a team or learning more, please contact Roger Thompson.

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

Roger Thompson (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Liz Norrell, University of Mississippi

Marc Watkins,  University of Mississippi

Austin Bailey, Hunter College (CUNY)

Fabian Erhardt, RhetAI Center at the University of Tübingen 

Gerry Dozier, Auburn University

Tim Laquintano, Lafayette College

Robert McMenemy, Software and Blockchain Developer

Jonathan Conyers, NYU Langone Health and Brooklyn Debate League

Barbara McCoy, Educator

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?

Alexis Hart (co-chair), Allegheny College

Roger Thompson (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Troy Siemers, Virginia Military Institute

Patrick Rhamey, Virginia Military Institute

Stacey Finkelstein, Stony Brook University

John David, Virginia Military Institute

Rianna Walcott, Black Communication and Technology Lab at University of Maryland

Uma Karmarkar, University of California—San Diego

Umair Usman, Florida International University

Roberto Simanowski, Free University Berlin

Challenge Question 3: How do emerging technologies alter the ethics of persuasion and deception?

Kathryn Broyles (co-chair), American Public University

Markus Gottschling (co-chair),  Center for Rhetorical Science Communication Research on Artificial Intelligence at University of Tübingen (Germany)

Peter Khost, Stony Brook University

Jen Santos, Grand Canyon University

Michael Thompson, Cenet

Marina Falasca, I.E.S en Lenguas Vivas J.R.F.

Romina Sabia, San Ramón Nonato Institute (Argentina) 

Aroona Khan, Stony Brook University

Henry Chapman, Infegy

Anne Burkhardt, Center for Rhetorical Science Communication  Research on Artificial Intelligence at University of Tübingen 

Deniz Sarikaya, University of Lübeck 

Laura Dumin, University of Central Oklahoma

Aaron Stern, Electric Kite

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

Roger Thompson (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Barbara Thompson, Baker Hughes

Jason Pitcock, JCP Advisory LLC

Charles McSoud, Gibbs Armstrong Borochoff P.C.

Michael Powers, The Michael Powers Company Limited

Kamil Mamak, Jagiellonian University

Dale Davis, Ultratech Capital Partners

Fabrizio Silvestri, University of Rome “La Sapienza” (Italy)

Baasil Shariff, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Dhruva Krishna, UCLA School of Law and Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Daniel Schiff, Governance and Responsible AI Lab (GRAIL) at Purdue University

Nita Farahany, Duke University

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?

Cynthia Davidson (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Kristina Lucenko (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Michael Weisenburg, University of South Carolina

Tim Riemann, United States Marine Corps

Margaret Schedel, Stony Brook University

Anuj Gupta, University of Arizona

Brooke Hessler, StoryCenter

Wilbur Farley, Stony Brook University

Mary Martin, Educator and Futurist

Jeffrey Greene, University of North Carolina

Ronni Burns, New York University

Anna Sowa, Booz Allen Hamilton and ARPA-H

Challenge Question 6: How are emerging technologies and concentrations of power impacting institutions and the political order?

Matthew Salzano (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Katy Johnston (co-chair), Stony Brook University

Atin Basu, Virginia Military Institute

Sara Santos, Stony Brook University

Drew Ashby-King, East Carolina University

Anuj Gupta, University of Arizona

Nesrin Pervin, North South University 

Challenge Question 7: How can technology foster trust and collaboration rather than polarization and violence?

Zoltan Majdik (co-chair), North Dakota State University

Chris Basgier (co-chair), Auburn University

Shyam Sharma, Stony Brook University

Asya Achimova, University of Tübingen 

Atin Basu, Virginia Military Institute

Lydia Wilkes, Auburn University

Stephanie Dinkins, Future Histories Studio and Stony Brook University

Umair Usman, Florida International University

Gene Bernardin, Anthea AI

Tyler Romaine, Writer