{"id":16554,"date":"2025-12-01T00:20:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T08:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/?p=16554"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:47:23","slug":"mahsa-zohrabi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/2025\/12\/01\/mahsa-zohrabi\/","title":{"rendered":"Talk Human to Me: Mahsa Zohrabi Aims to Make Artificial Intelligence More Transparent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Person<\/figure><\/div>\n\n
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\"Mahsa
Mahsa Zohrabi<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

On most weekday mornings, Mahsa Zohrabi<\/a> starts her day at Washington State University\u2019s Student Recreation Center, squeezing in a workout before heading over to the Carson College of Business to study and dive into research. This daily routine helps her reset, as the work ahead requires focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a second-year PhD student in information systems at WSU, Zohrabi is tackling an emerging issue that touches nearly every industry\u2014from medicine to the gig economy, and even the applications we use on our phones and laptops: how to make artificial intelligence decision-making more understandable to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAI systems make predictions and recommendations, but users often cannot tell why,\u201d she says. \u201cIf the explanation doesn\u2019t make sense, it won\u2019t be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing for Understanding, Not Just Efficiency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Zohrabi grew up in Iran where she earned both her bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in industrial engineering. She began her career as a research and development engineer at an automotive parts manufacturer, where she conducted feasibility studies for new technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her master\u2019s thesis focused on the Internet of Things\u2014the physical devices and objects connected to the internet that collect and share data, such as smartphones, automobiles, appliances, and smart-home systems. She later assessed automation options for Iran\u2019s national railway sector. The work sharpened two instincts\u2014she liked solving hard problems with real-world consequences, and she wanted to trace cause and effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn industry, you are assigned tasks, but it\u2019s hard to see your contribution to the big picture,\u201d she says. \u201cI was more motivated by research.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engineering a New Path Forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it came time to apply for PhD programs, Zohrabi focused on the United States. After receiving multiple offers, she chose WSU for its alignment with her interests and the strong research profiles of the Carson College of Business faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, her primary research projects examine explainable AI. While computer scientists develop techniques to uncover the reasons behind AI decisions, Zohrabi studies the next step: whether those explanations are actually understandable to the humans who need them. She draws on cognitive psychology and communication research to design surveys and experiments that help her gain greater insight into making AI more relatable to human understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can see a version of this in daily life with generative AI,\u201d she says. \u201cA system gives an answer, but you\u2019re not sure if it\u2019s grounded in evidence. Confidence depends on clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another project she\u2019s involved in\u2014led by her PhD advisor, Richard Johnson, professor of information systems\u2014explores whether employees prefer to receive feedback from an AI system or from a manager. Early pilot results suggest participants were more comfortable receiving negative feedback from AI than from a supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zohrabi plans a larger data collection in the spring of 2026 to validate those initial results and aims to submit a paper next year. Both projects reflect an interest in transparency that she says was sparked by observing the types of jobs that make up the \u201cgig economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUber drivers are managed by algorithms,\u201d she says. \u201cThey don\u2019t always know how pay is calculated or why certain decisions happen. Workers ask for transparency. I felt research could help with a real-world problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding Her Footing in Academia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mentorship and support have shaped Zohrabi\u2019s academic experience, from the program\u2019s thoughtful structure under department chair Robert Crossler to her advisor\u2019s strong focus on professional development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLearning how to do research and behave professionally in academia is essential,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve had guidance on how to respect your cohort and faculty, and how to build good relationships with students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zohrabi also serves as a teaching assistant and co-taught an online summer course in 2025. She says she wants to continue growing as an instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-term, Zohrabi hopes to publish at least one strong paper during the program, recognizing that high-quality research can take several years to mature. She aims to graduate in 2029 and pursue an academic career that blends research with teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her advice to prospective students is simple: WSU is a great place to pursue genuine research interest, but motivation is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGive yourself time,\u201d she says. \u201cBy the second semester, you start to find your path.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On most weekday mornings, Mahsa Zohrabi starts her day at Washington State University\u2019s Student Recreation Center, squeezing in a workout before heading over to the Carson College of Business to study and dive into research. As a second-year PhD student in information systems at WSU, Zohrabi is tackling an emerging issue that touches nearly every industry\u2014from medicine to the gig economy, and even the applications we use on our phones and laptops: how to make artificial intelligence decision-making more understandable to people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[630],"featured_media":16622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[627,425,550],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16554"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/630"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16554"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18378,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16554\/revisions\/18378"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16554"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/business.wsu.edu\/edividend\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/author?post=16554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}