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Humanizing Technologies: A Survival Toolkit Navigating the Artificial Intelligence Era in Migration Studies

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Project Lead

Annie Wan

The rapid development of artificial intelligence is transforming migration studies, requiring researchers and practitioners to find ways to navigate its impact on their work.

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Objective

This project develops a survival toolkit for navigating the artificial intelligence era in migration studies. The objectives are to equip researchers and practitioners with resources to critically engage with AI and to support human-centered approaches in the field.

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Research question(s)

  1. How can we build resilience using novel ideas and technologies, especially in mixed reality (MR), to support the storytelling of migrants’ stories?
  2. How do we create new AI large language models (LLM) that produce more diverse and inclusive text-to-video footage and engage AI technologies meaningfully and ethically?
  3. How can we develop a role model for fellow academics to use the heated debate technologies in migration studies and for social good with less or no bias?
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Methodology

The project combines interdisciplinary approaches to address the challenges faced by first- and second-generation immigrants. It leverages mixed reality, artificial intelligence, migrants’ oral histories, and qualitative research to explore cultural differences, generation gaps, communication barriers, career struggles, family dynamics, and mental well-being. The methodology includes archival research, immersive media and artificial intelligence in filmmaking, research in large language models, in-depth interviews and oral history, participant observation and ethnography, and qualitative content analysis.

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Status

The project is in progress.

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Outcomes

Past events and presentations:

  • "Humanizing Technologies: A Survival Toolkit Navigating the Artificial Intelligence Era in Migration Studies" presented by  Annie Wan, UW Raise X Amazon Fall Exposition, Seattle, US, October 3, 2025
  • “Prototyping principles for humanizing technologies: Preliminary research in research-creation methodologies, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality for migration studies”, presented by Annie Wan, APARN: Asia Pacific Artistic Research Network Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, July 1–3, 2025
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Key words

Artificial intelligence; mixed reality; migration studies; oral history; ethnography; cultural resilience

Photo credit: Yutong Liu & Kingston School of Art  / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/