Kabir Gupta

I study the computing technologies that are shaping the human condition. In asking how we integrate these technologies into our conception of ourselves, I seek out ways of being human when surrounded by technology that blurs the boundaries between person and machine. My current research in the cadre focuses on understanding how long-term romantic relationships with AI companions reveal the values embedded in that technology as well as the societal structures and norms that may make such relationships desirable.

Methodologically, my work is grounded in studies of science, technology, and society, into which I incorporate my background in philosophy and computational methods, as a student in Lehigh's interdisciplinary IDEAS program. I was also involved in the lab's community-engaged research project with Haiyan Jia and Dominic DiFranzo on public health communication and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am passionate about the mobilization of academic research by and for the communities that contributed to its production.