Cultural Intelligence Lab (CIL)

Co-Directors: Hoyt Long (University of Chicago) and Richard Jean So (Duke University)

Technology has long mediated the production of human culture – the various means by which people make sense of themselves, their relation to others, and the worlds they inhabit. Cultural Intelligence is an umbrella term for these ways of making sense, particularly as they involve acts of creative expression or imaginative thought. Today, this intelligence is increasingly mediated through computation, whether in the form of algorithmic feeds, large language models, or other advanced systems for coordinating the production and distribution of cultural information between human and non-human entities.

Our lab leverages cultural theory, critical insight, and computational tools to better understand the impacts of these systems on cultural intelligence and to devise strategies for responding to these impacts. Recognizing culture as the infrastructure of the social world, we investigate how aesthetics, narrative, and interpretation shape social outcomes—ranging from elections and misinformation to polarization and beyond. Our research aims to illustrate both the causal and generative power of culture in shaping the social alliances and divisions that define contemporary society.

For more information or to connect with our lab’s activities, please email hoytlong@uchicago.edu or richard.so@duke.edu.