ILYUNG CHEONG

My research agenda focuses on (i) consumer perception and decision-making of new technologies, particularly AI, and (ii) social and consumer well-being, often in collaboration with AI departments and industry partners.

A key area of my research examines how consumers perceive and make decisions about AI technologies. For example, one paper, published in the Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio), explores consumers’ lay beliefs about AI’s capability to assess interpersonal and analytical skills. A separate study employs a field study design and explores effective ways to increase attitudes toward AI-driven recruitment systems.

Beyond AI, my research also tackles consumer and social well-being. One paper, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, shows how offering a self-customization menu (vs. a fixed menu) can encourage healthier food choices. In another sustainability project, I collaborated with KAIST dormitory council to design behavioral interventions that reduced energy consumption among 3,000+ students.

In the future, I aspire to be recognized as a leading scholar at the intersection of the above two topics: AI for Social Good—advocating responsible AI usage among firms while enhancing consumer trust, safety, and sustainability in AI applications. For example, in an interdisciplinary paper published in IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (IF: 20.8), I collaborated with the AI department to predict urban crime using Google Map's Street View images, applying behavioral insights to enhance public safety.