Edward B. Kang

Edward B. Kang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University’s Steinhardt School. He co-directs a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded project titled Machine Listening in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and co-organizes the AI in Society group at the Institute for Public Knowledge (IPK). His research explores how voice AI systems reconfigure human voices into measurable mechanisms, challenging assumptions about intelligence, emotion, and perception through frameworks spanning STS, philosophy of science, and sound studies.

Education: Ph.D. in Communication with a graduate certificate in Science & Technology Studies from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School. Previously affiliated with the AI research collective Knowing Machines (Sloan Foundation-funded) and served as Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Communication.

Research focuses on intersections between AI, cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and digital platforms like Spotify and Tinder. His current book project, Machine Voices (MIT Press), examines voice AI systems’ epistemological underpinnings. Recent publications address AI benchmarking cultures, biometric data formation, and algorithmic policing infrastructure.

Grants/Advising: NEH grant for Machine Listening project. No listed advisees but collaborates widely with interdisciplinary teams. Active in public knowledge initiatives through IPK and ACM conferences.

Labs/Teams: Co-leads AI in Society at IPK; affiliated with NYU’s Media, Culture, and Communication program. Previously part of USC’s Knowing Machines collective.