Jeong presents ‘Designing Social Robots for Human Flourishing’ at Westwood Lecture Series

Sooyeon Jeong, assistant professor of computer science in the College of Science, presented “Designing Social Robots for Human Flourishing” at the Westwood Lecture Series on Feb. 10.

“Designing Social Robots for Human Flourishing”
Sooyeon Jeong
Assistant professor of computer science
College of Science

Abstract: We are surrounded by interactive technologies that can listen, respond and adapt to us in everyday contexts as conversational and multimodal AI continues to advance. Realizing the full potential of these systems, however, requires careful design that considers both who these systems are intended to serve and how they interact with people. This talk will present a series of research projects that examine how robots can support human well-being through social and relational interaction. Jeong will begin by describing a long-term in-home deployment study examining how social robots can enhance psychological well-being. She will then discuss approaches to improving human-robot communication through sentiment-based backchanneling and active listening behaviors that elicit more meaningful interaction. While these projects aim to support the general population, it is also important to consider designing these robot technologies for vulnerable populations who may not equally benefit from recent technological advances. In describing this line of research, Jeong will present a codesign study on privacy-aware social robots that addresses older adults’ needs, concerns and desired levels of control over data and interaction. She will also share ongoing work on robots designed to support digital health literacy among Chinese immigrant older adults in the Chicago area.

Bio: Jeong’s research focuses on designing and deploying interactive AI agents that can improve people’s lives by providing personalized support based on each user’s needs, traits and behaviors. She deploys these agents “in the wild” to evaluate how they build relationships/rapport with people over time and improve their well-being, health and learning. She aims to build relational technologies to be more than just tools and become helpful companions for people by continuously adapting themselves to help users achieve their health goals.

Jeong earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering in electrical engineering and computer science, and a Master of Science and a PhD in media arts and sciences, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Prior to joining Purdue in 2023, she spent one year as a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.