Soonho Kwon

I am a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and design researcher, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human-Centered Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I am a member of the ESC Lab, advised by Shaowen Bardzell. My research spans the following areas:

(1) Spiritual AI: By situating AI in domains where conventional metrics such as efficiency and accuracy are less central, I critically examine and design for how human agency and authenticity can be sustained in human-AI interaction.

(2) Korean LGBTQ+ Community: I collaborate with Korean LGBTQ+ organizations to explore how queer stakeholders “make do” under hostile socio-technical conditions through and alongside technology, while also envisioning technologies that support such endurance.

(3) Death and Technology: I investigate and design for non-normative experiences of death, such as dying young or without family support (e.g., among queer individuals in Korea), focusing on digital legacy and end-of-life preparation.

(4) Tech- and Data-Driven Governance: I examine how people navigate data- and technology-driven policies and civic processes to maintain and protect their ways of being.

In conducting my research, I do not approach technology as a means of “solving problems.” My work treats technology as a way of allowing people the possibility to carve out authentic ways of being within systems that are difficult to escape or transform (be it a social structure, technical systems, etc.), while critically attending to how technologies may exacerbate existing issues at times.

Grounded in critical, feminist, design, and qualitative approaches, my work has been presented and recognized at venues such as Ars Electronica, CHI, CSCW, and DIS, and has been supported by NSF-funded research.