Youjin Kong
Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Georgia.
Previously, I was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Oregon State University. I earned my PhD in Philosophy from Michigan State University and my MA and BA in Philosophy from Seoul National University, South Korea.
Click here to view my latest CV.
Research
Located at the nexus of social-political philosophy, feminist philosophy, and ethics of artificial intelligence (AI), my research aims to analyze and challenge social injustice through philosophical frameworks. This research manifests in two key areas:
Bias and Fairness in AI: I analyze how AI can reproduce and exacerbate gender and racial injustice, and develop philosophical frameworks for improving justice in socio-technical systems. My work in this area examines the dominant interpretations of fairness and intersectionality in the AI fairness literature (ACM FAccT 2022), and proposes a paradigm shift towards a more robust notion of AI fairness, which I call "strong" fairness (APA Blog 2022).
Social Identity and Power: I examine the nature and meaning of social identity (such as race, ethnicity, and gender), particularly how it is shaped by and shapes societal power dynamics. My article in ERGO (2023) addresses the relationship between social identity and power by engaging in a case study of Asian American experiences during COVID-19.
Currently, I am working on building a non-idealizing, decolonial ontology of social identity that could serve as a bridge between AI fairness research and women of color feminism. I have won a Best Paper Prize from the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy.
Teaching
I teach a range of courses in moral, social, and feminist philosophy, including courses on ethical and social issues in AI. My dedication to creating active learning environments has been recognized with a Teaching Excellence Award in 2019. My passion for innovative AI ethics education also led me to develop and deliver new interdisciplinary courses, recognized with an Outstanding Service Award in 2021.
