Annette Masterson is a communication and information scholar whose research operates at the intersection of policy and artificial intelligence. Applying feminist and critical studies to the analysis of interactive and companion AI systems, she evaluates the interpersonal and institutional impacts on data privacy and relationships. By studying the creation and collection of intimate data, she has investigated institutional interests, exploring the platformization of intimacy, a social dichotomy where different forms of intimacy are possible but within the constraints of corporate and governmental interests. Through this work, she blends legal and social science research to propose regulatory frameworks that enable freedom of expression while minimizing individual and interpersonal harm. As a postdoctoral research fellow in the School of Information at the University of Michigan, she has applied mixed-methodologies across virtual and physical robot contexts to understand the depth and typology of intimacy.
Recent work has been published in IEEE Ro-Man, AIS AMCIS, Human-Machine Communication, Feminist Media Studies, Journalism History, and the Journal of Children and Media. She earned her Ph.D. in media and communication from Temple University with certificates in teaching and gender studies. Her work has been supported by the University of Michigan Institute for Research on Women & Gender Faculty, the Laura Levitt Fund at Temple University, and the Center for Humanities at Temple University.