Dr. Önder Çelik

Önder Celik is an anthropologist and strategic experience researcher. He received his PhD degree from Johns Hopkins University and he is currenly working at a boutique consulting firm that merges anthropology, data, and AI in its human-centered services.

Önder’s work centers around understanding and developing insights on complex interactions between humans and tools in general. In particular, he is interested in how the dialectic relationship between humans and algorithmic tools opens up new spaces of friction, possibilities, and limitations.

At the Weizenbaum Institute, he investigates why users willingly engage with and disclose personal data to a chatbot called Replika, despite its reputation for being untrustworthy. Replika is an AI-powered chatbot that simulates human-like conversations, providing emotional support and companionship. By exploring the motivations, experiences, and concerns of users, his project aims to provide insights into the evolving relationship between humans and algorithmic systems.