Prof. Veronica Barassi

Prof. Veronica Barassi is Professor of Media and Communication Studies at the University of St. Gallen, where she leads the Media and Culture Research Unit at the MCM Institute and serves as Vice-Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. From 2020 to 2025, she has been the Principal Investigator of the Human Error Project. A trained digital anthropologist, her work examines how AI’s simplified version of humanity collides with real lives. Her research includes projects on children’s data and the datafication of family life (Child Data Citizen), the social impacts of AI error and algorithmic bias (The Human Error Project), GenAI safety in the context of abuse (Intimate Tech Terror), and Persuasive Communication and AI (PersuasiveAI Futures). Across these areas, Barassi brings together communication science, anthropology, and AI governance. She argues that responsible AI is not only a technical or regulatory challenge, but also a communication and culture problem, one shaped as much by platform design and governance as by the everyday experiences of people living with AI across diverse social contexts. Bridging these perspectives is essential to developing AI systems that are genuinely human-centred. Prof. Barassi is the author of three books and numerous articles published in leading journals. Her research has been supported by major funding bodies, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the British Academy, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and Innosuisse. She has contributed to international policy discussions on AI governance and digital rights, including work that informed the UK’s Age Appropriate Design Code. Her TED Talk on children’s data rights has been viewed more than 2 million times. Prof. Barassi is always interested in connecting with researchers, policymakers, and organisations working on AI, digital culture, and responsible innovation.