Research Doesn’t Just Influence Products, It Also Influences Researchers

My research on cultural nuance and AI safety in the Middle East has spilled into my personal life.

I didn’t expect a study about language and safety guardrails to spark a renewed curiosity to revisit the region. But listening to participants share how trust, honorifics, and workplace culture shape their expectations of AI reminded me how much place shapes perspective.

It’s a good reminder: research doesn’t just influence products—it influences us as researchers, too.