I'm a Technical Researcher with the AI on the Ground team at Data & Society Research Institute. My work examines auditing and accountability in algorithmic systems, with a focus on social justice, participatory design, and policy. More recently, I’ve turned toward sociotechnical evaluation of large language models (LLMs) in mental and behavioral health, exploring how these systems are used for support, meaning-making, and care.

I hold a Ph.D. in Information Science from Cornell University and a B.S. in Computer Science from Pace University. My work has been supported by Google, Facebook, Microsoft, the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Mozilla Foundation, and the Notre Dame-IBM Tech Ethics Lab.

Publications

AI is Mental: Evaluating the Role of LLMs in Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being *
Briana Vecchione, Ranjit Singh
Big Data & Society. 2025.

Red-Teaming in the Public Interest
Ranjit Singh, Borhane Blili-Hamelin, Carol Anderson, Emnet Tafesse, Briana Vecchione, Beth Duckles, Jacob Metcalf
Data & Society. 2025.

Towards AI Accountability Infrastructure: Gaps and Opportunities in AI Audit Tooling *
Victor Ojewale, Ryan Steed, Briana Vecchione, Abeba Birhane, Inioluwa Deborah Raji
ACM CHI 2025.

Algorithm Auditing: The Broken Bus on the Road to Algorithm Accountability *
Abeba Birhane, Ryan Steed, Victor Ojewale, Briana Vecchione, Inioluwa Deborah Raji
IEEE SaTML 2024.

Auditing Work: Exploring the New York City Algorithmic Bias Audit Regime *
Lara Groves, Jacob Metcalf, Alayna Kennedy, Briana Vecchione, Andrew Strait
ACM FAccT 2024. Best Paper Award

Null Compliance: NYC Local Law 144 and the Challenges of Algorithm Accountability *
Lucas Wright, Roxana Muenster, Briana Vecchione, Tianyao Qu, Pika (Senhuang) Cai, Alan Smith, COMM/INFO 2450 Student Investigators, Jacob Metcalf, J. Nathan Matias
ACM FAccT 2024.

Navigating the Complexities of Algorithmic Auditing: Challenges and Considerations
Briana Vecchione
Cornell University. 2023.

Algorithmic Auditing and Social Justice: Lessons from the History of Audit Studies *
Briana Vecchione, Solon Barocas, Karen Levy
ACM EAAMO 2021.

Datasheets for Datasets *
Timnit Gebru, Jamie Morgenstern, Briana Vecchione, Jennifer Wortman Vaughan, Hanna Wallach, Hal Daumé III, Kate Crawford
ACM CACM 2021. (Short version: ACM FAccT 2018)

Recommending Podcasts for Cold-Start Users Based on Music Listening and Taste *
Zahra Nazari, Christophe Charbuillet, Johan Pages, Martin Laurent, Denis Charrier, Briana Vecchione, Benjamin Carterette
ACM SIGIR 2020.

Public Writing & Policy

What Happens When People Turn to Chatbots for Therapy?
Briana Vecchione
Data & Society Points. 2025.

Chatbots in Disguise: How Participants Use GenAI to Hack Qualitative Research
Ranjit Singh, Livia Garofalo, Briana Vecchione, Emnet Tafesse
Data & Society Points. 2025.

The Algorithmic Impact Methods Lab: Methods from the Field
Tamara Kneese, Briana Vecchione, Ranjit Singh, Emnet Tafesse, Meg Young, Jacob Metcalf
Data & Society Points. 2024.

NTIA x OAT: Comment on FR Doc #2023-07776
Raji, Inioluwa Deborah, Abeba Birhane, Briana Vecchione, Ryan Steed, and Victor Ojewale. 2023. Submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration Request for Comment on AI Accountability Policy (2023).

Mozilla Open Source Audit Tooling (OAT) Project: Comment on FR Doc #2023-28232.
Raji, Inioluwa Deborah, Abeba Birhane, Briana Vecchione, Ryan Steed, and Victor Ojewale. 2023. Submitted in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology Request for Information on AI (2023).

Defining Public Interest Technology: Key Questions to Consider
Briana Vecchione
Cornell Tech Digital Life Initiative. 2022. (Workshopped at CSCW 2022)

Addressing Economic Inequality in NYC through Social Impact Tech Research at Blue Ridge Labs
Briana Vecchione
Cornell Tech Public Interest Technology Initiative. 2021.

Forthcoming Publications

A Chatbot for the Soul: Mental Health Care, Privacy, and Intimacy in AI-Based Conversational Agents *
Tamara Kneese, Briana Vecchione, Alice Marwick
Communication and Change, 2025. Forthcoming.

Spiritual Chatbots in Uncertain Times
Tamara Kneese, Briana Vecchione
ASAP/15, Special Issue, 2025. Forthcoming.

Algorithms and the Occult, or Chatbots are the New Psychic Friends Network
Tamara Kneese, Jeffrey Moro, Briana Vecchione
ASAP/15, Special Issue, 2025. Forthcoming.

Select Talks, Workshops, & Engagements

Mind, Machine, and Me: Mental Health Chatbots and Techno-selfhood
Livia Garofalo, Briana Vecchione
Society for Social Studies of Science (4S). September 2025.

Mind, Machine, and Me: Mental Health Chatbots and Techno-selfhood
Livia Garofalo, Briana Vecchione
Italian Society for the Study of Science and Technology (STS Italia). June 2025.

Databite No. 161: Red-Teaming Generative AI Harm
Lama Ahmad, Camille François, Tarleton Gillespie, Briana Vecchione, Borhane Blili-Hamelin
Data & Society. March 2025.

Algorithms and the Occult, or Chatbots are the New Psychic Friends Network
Tamara Kneese, Briana Vecchione
ASAP/15. New York, NY. October 2024.

Guest Lecture: Algorithmic Auditing: Challenges and Considerations
Briana Vecchione
University of Pennsylvania, CIS7000 Algorithmic Justice. March 2024. [Remote]

Auditing AI Workshop
Briana Vecchione
Notre Dame–IBM Technology Ethics Lab. June 2023. Notre Dame, IN.

Who Has an Interest in “Public Interest Technology”? Critical Questions for Working with Local Governments & Impacted Communities
Briana Vecchione
Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW). November 2022. [Remote]

Navigating the Algorithm Audit Tooling Landscape
Briana Vecchione
Mozilla All Hands, Trustworthy AI "Big Ideas". September 2022. Waikiki, HI.

Algorithmic Auditing for Social Justice
Briana Vecchione
ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO). October 2021. [Remote]