Hi, I'm Jieun.

My research introduces "Synthetic Humans," where human ideas, behaviors, and identity features are replicated, customized, and simulated in mediated environments. I have explored how emerging media technologies (e.g., virtual avatars, synthetic voices and images, and AI clones) extend human presence and capabilities in digital environments, introducing new opportunities and challenges for interpersonal collaboration. My recent work introduces Proxy-Mediated Interaction, where a personalized AI agent that mimics individual users' identity features and interaction patterns (i.e., AI self-clones) serves as a social proxy in interpersonal settings on users' behalf.

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in Information Science at Cornell University, advised by Prof. Susan R. Fussell (Committee members: Prof. Mor Naaman, Prof. Malte F. Jung). Before joining Cornell, I completed a master's degree in Interaction Science, with a focus on Behavioral Science and Human-AI Interaction, and two bachelor's degrees in Media Communication and Informatics at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Seoul. I have received the Cornell Media Studies Grant in 2023 and 2024, and interned at Microsoft Research in 2024.

RESEARCH INTEREST

My research envisions a future where people communicate, collaborate, and connect with virtual entities that emulate human characteristics, identities, and social behaviors. My previous work addresses the questions of (1) how people perceive and interact with the autonomous agents (e.g., embodied AI agents, voice assistants) that become increasingly capable and humanlike in collaborative settings, and (2) how people express and extend their identities through virtual self-presentations (e.g., virtual avatars, synthetic voices) in mediated social interactions. Through these empirical insights, my dissertation proposes a new paradigm of virtual collaboration using AI self-clones, questioning (3) how self-mimetic agents and other forms of digitally mediated presence influence collaboration, while raising new ethical and moral questions.

With my interdisciplinary expertise in Media Psychology, Behavioral Science, and User Experience Design, I have led multidisciplinary teams of researchers and engineers to design and evaluate prototypes of novel Human-AI Interaction systems. My work provides empirical foundations to collaborative technology design by studying the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying human engagement with emerging technologies, using lab experiments, field studies, computational analyses, surveys, and interviews. My future work will develop interaction frameworks and design guidelines that inform users, designers, and platform developers about the social and ethical risks of synthetic representations and provide meaningful questions to support collaborative technologies for the future of work. 

3. Virtual Self-Representations

Advances in media technologies allow users to transcend physical constraints and construct their idealized self-representation, creating a new form of interaction with extended selves. Users construct virtual identities by adjusting their visual and vocal representations in online environments. This selective process of self-presentation has a significant impact on how people perceive themselves and interact with others in mediated environments.