Michael Ann Devito

Background

About Michael Ann Devito

I am a qualitative Social Computing, Human-Computer Interaction, and User Experience researcher and educator. My research closes gaps in understanding between users and AI-driven social systems to enable sustainable, intentional, and mutually beneficial Human-AI collaboration. I develop and employ in-depth, qualitative, participatory methods to examine and address friction and distrust-inducing disconnects. I do much of this work in the context of marginalized identities as a member-researcher, bringing my research expertise to communities that I am a part of, such as the LGBTQ+ community. I adopt a sociotechnical perspective on the relationship between users and AI systems to find ways to reduce misunderstandings, build trust, and promote mutually beneficial adaptation. I take a transfeminist design stance so that my work recognizes the dual necessity of centering marginalized communities while also creating systems that support all users, and the importance of embracing the complexity of relationships to this goal.