The Department of Philosophy is excited to welcome new assistant professor, Youjin Kong. Kong's specializations in Social/Political Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy, and the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence bring great expertise in areas of scholarship with tremendous relevance in contemporary society and culture. Her current research analyzes how AI reproduces gender and racial injustice and explores the nature of social identity and power dynamics. "I am very excited to be a part of the UGA Philosophy Department, which is a vibrant and growing community of scholars," says Kong. "I look forward to working with my colleagues and students to make philosophy a more inclusive and diverse field." Dr. Kong's experience as immigrant Asian woman of color who speaks English as a second language (ESL) has greatly informed her scholarly work. "As the only Asian/immigrant/ESL-speaking philosopher virtually everywhere I went, I had felt pressure to blend in and survive as a 'model minority,'" she explains. "However, over time, I was fortunate enough to meet and work with many feminist, critical race, and decolonial philosophers who helped me to see that I should conduct research that only I can do—research that speaks to my unique experiences, and that I could use my own voice to challenge structural injustice." Dr. Kong's most recent work focuses on Asian American women's experiences of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic, the model minority stereotype, and feminist solidarity with Black women. Her interest in the intersectionality of racial and gender oppression also led to work on fairness in AI, specifically the ways in which racial, gender, and other biases can manifest in AI algorithms "I am currently working to connect these two strands of my work, i.e., social identity and AI fairness," says Kong. "I believe that this work to better understand what racial, gender, and other social identities 'are' could also help to build AI systems that are less biased on the basis of such social identities." Type of News/Audience: Announcement Faculty News Read More: For more information on Youjin Kong's work, visit her personal website.
