CityU Professor Yu-li Liu Discusses AI Communication Research:From Facial Recognition to ChatGPT

The International Master’s Program in International Communication Studies (IMICS) program hosted a talk titled “User, Technology, and Policy in the Age of AI: From Facial Recognition to ChatGPT” with Professor Yu-li Liu from the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) as the guest speaker on 5 May 2023 at National Chengchi University.

Professor Yu-li Liu, Director of the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong, shares her research on artificial intelligence and communication.

The talk was welcomed by Professor Katherine Yi-Ning Chen, the dean of the College of Communication, Professor Tsung-Jen Shih, the director of the Media Research and Development Center and students from various departments.

The purpose of the talk was to discuss the development of artificial intelligence (AI) communication research, including related theories, legal and ethical issues and various applications in our daily life.

During the talk, Professor Liu presented a wide range of examples of AI applications, such as facial recognition, voice recognition, conversational AI, Metaverse, and ChatGPT. She believes that AI applications have benefited people in many ways, but there are also concerns that need to be addressed.

“Technology is like a two-edged sword. It has pros and cons and can offer users good and bad outcomes. For example, with new technology, users can be more efficient and productive, but they may feel insecure or have privacy concerns about some technologies. Since technology may have bad impacts on the users, the government’s law and policy have become important,” said Professor Liu, the head of the Department of Media and Communication, CityU.

In addition to emphasizing the need for laws and regulations to keep pace with new technologies, Professor Liu also drew attention to the potential privacy issues surrounding popular text-based AI tools.

The talk attracted many students from different departments to attend.

“There are several potential privacy concerns associated with text-based AI tools. For example, users may unwittingly provide sensitive personal data to the tool without fully understanding the implications. This can lead to the collection of personal data without consent and can pose a threat to the ‘right to be forgotten.’ Additionally, third parties may be able to access user data without further notice, which raises serious data security risks,” said Professor Liu, who is also the former director of the IMICS program.

“This talk was fascinating as it covered the trending topic of AI and user privacy from several different perspectives. At the same time, Professor Liu gave some interesting real-world examples that I had never heard of before,” said Ondřej, a first-year IMICS student from the Czech Republic.

“I loved learning about the theories and research models that are being used by prominent researchers in the field now. It helps me conceptualize modern AI research and inform my research endeavours,” said Hayle, a first- year IMICS student from the United States.

Professor Liu’s research interests span several areas, including communications law and policy, new media business models and marketing strategies, big data and consumer privacy, AI ethics and governance, and user behaviour.

After the talk, the speaker took a group photo with all the faculty and students.