I’m an assistant professor of global ethics and technology in the department of philosophy and religious studies at Old Dominion University. Prior to joining ODU in 2025, I was a faculty fellow at the California Center for Ethics and Policy at California State Polytechnic University Pomona.
Much of my research examines the ethical, epistemic, and social implications of generative AI, particularly how it shapes knowledge transmission and affects social unity. This work is situated at the intersection of AI ethics and policy, social epistemology, philosophy of language, and social and political philosophy, drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives. I also have abiding interests in the philosophy of groups, particularly how knowledge transmission is influenced by what groups believe and what we believe about groups.
My empirically oriented work focuses on improving the development and use of LLM-based chatbots and image generators to promote the dissemination of accurate and justice-conducive knowledge. My primary focus has been examining aspects of chatbots’ language use that matter most for communicating about the social world. I recently published an article in AI & Society on chatbots’ use of generic generalizations and talked about it on NPR’s Academic Minute podcast (available here).
Another project investigates group dynamics and normatively binding beliefs that stifle progress. Here I’m particularly interested in large-scale epistemic pathologies, such as collective hypocrisy, as well as forms of prejudice based on group identities and beliefs, such as religious discrimination.
I also conduct empirical research in cognitive developmental psychology to study how people learn, represent and talk about generalizable regularities across the social and natural domains in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team led by Kate Ritchie (UC Irvine Philosophy) and Ny Vasil (CSU East Bay Psychology).
