Dr Mark Warner, Dr Amid Ayobi (UCLIC) and Dr Catherine O’Brien have received funding through the Google Privacy Research Faculty Awards 2025 for a one-year project exploring how conversational AI can improve online content reporting tools for privacy harms.
The research builds on analysis of over 500 publicly available behaviour and safety documents from major social platforms that underpin moderation and reporting systems. The team aims to address limitations in current reporting tools, which often place the burden of categorising complex harms on users without adequate guidance or support.
Using an iterative co-design approach, the researchers will prototype and test conversational reporting interfaces, generating insights for developers and regulators. The work will contribute best-practice guidance for designing reporting mechanisms that better reflect diverse user needs and experiences.
Dr Warner leads the project, drawing on his expertise in online harms and safety governance. Dr Ayobi guides the co-design process, while Dr Catherine O’Brien, an early-career Research Fellow, brings specialist expertise in qualitative and participatory methods. The award will enable Dr O’Brien to continue developing impactful research in online safety and governance.