Meryl Ye is a research assistant with Data & Society’s AI on the Ground team, where she studies how people use AI chatbots for mental and emotional support. Her work examines the lived experience of interacting with conversational AI in moments of vulnerability. She uses interviews, diary studies, and qualitative analysis to examine the social and ethical implications of AI-mediated support. Her research aims to inform more responsible design and deployment of AI systems, including safety guardrails that support emotional well-being and set appropriate expectations for AI-based support tools.

Meryl is a PhD student in societal computing at Carnegie Mellon University. Her broader research explores how platform design shapes self-presentation, audience management, and disclosure in digital environments, and how sycophantic AI behaviors influence user attitudes, confidence, and trust. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science with honors from Cornell University.