HAIYI ZHU | PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA

Haiyi Zhu
Carnegie Mellon University Associate Professor & Director of HCI Undergraduate Programs

Haiyi Zhu excels in the booming field of artificial intelligence, and she has a particular interest in ensuring that it benefits society and is applied ethically. In one example, Zhu, who was born in China and has a Ph.D. in philosophy and human-computer interaction, led a team that studied an AI tool used by Allegheny County Human Services caseworkers to assess future risks of maltreatment of children in families.

Her team’s research found racial disparities in screening rates between Black and white families, and local caseworkers were able to make adjustments to narrow the equity gaps in assessments. The analysis also prompted Oregon’s Department of Human Services to stop using a similar assessment tool because of what her team found.

“I’m really interested in the use of AI in these high-stakes domains,” she says, “and how they impact especially the vulnerable and marginalized populations.”