AI and Cultural Analytics
Studying LLM-generated paratexts, algorithmic canon formation, cultural mediation, and responsible AI in multilingual contexts.
Assistant Professor / AI Humanities Researcher
AI, culture, and the digital life of literature.
I am an incoming tenure-track assistant professor (August 2026) in the Department of Translation at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. My research examines both AI in culture and culture in AI: how artificial intelligence reshapes creativity, cultural understanding, literary value, and cross-cultural communication.
Combining digital humanities, cultural analytics, and translation studies, I use computational methods such as text mining, network analysis, topic modeling, metadata analysis, and corpus-based interpretation to study AI as a cultural technology: one that frames literary canons, translates cultural nuance, and reconfigures multilingual exchange.
Research Interests
AI and Culture
Digital Humanities
Cultural Analytics
Translation Studies
Recent News
- Jul 2026
Will present What Makes AI a Good Cultural Mediator? Evidence from Literary Paratexts at the Culture x AI workshop at ICML 2026 in Seoul.
- Jul 2026
Will present at DH2026, the ADHO International Digital Humanities Conference in Daejeon.
- Jun 2026
Will present at the NYU Shanghai-NYU Madrid conference in Madrid.
Research
Research Areas
Digital Humanities
Using text mining, network analysis, topic modeling, and bibliographic metadata to trace cultural circulation and literary prestige.
Translation and Circulation
Examining global book translation, indirect translation, Chinese literature in Lusophone contexts, and popular culture translation.
Projects & Grants
Current Projects & Grants
The Algorithmic Canon
Examines literary prestige and representation in the age of large language models, with attention to how AI systems frame canons, genres, and cultural authority.
Agentic AI Risks
Studies the cultural dimensions of role implications in agentic AI, focusing on responsible AI and cross-cultural sensitivity.
Fidelity or Betrayal
Uses topic modeling to analyze indirect literary translation, trust, and cultural mediation across Chinese, English, and Portuguese contexts.
Updates
News
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Will present What Makes AI a Good Cultural Mediator? Evidence from Literary Paratexts at the Culture x AI workshop at ICML 2026 in Seoul.
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Will present at DH2026, the ADHO International Digital Humanities Conference in Daejeon.
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Will present at the NYU Shanghai-NYU Madrid conference in Madrid.
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Presented Literary Canons and Algorithmic Framing: Analysis of LLM-Generated Paratexts at HKADH 2026.
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AMCIS paper on LLM cross-cultural sensitivity nominated for Best Paper.
Writing
Publications
Forthcoming
Book Chapter
Peripheral connections: BERT topic modeling of Chinese literature's Brazilian presence
Zhou, M. (Accepted). In Beyond the World Capital of Letters. Bloomsbury.
Book Chapter
Mapping the translation and circulation of Portuguese literature in China (1942-2022): A digital humanities approach
Zhou, M. (Accepted). In Digital Translation History. John Benjamins.
Book Chapter
Exploring the circulation and canonization of Chinese internet literature in Brazil: A case study of Mo Dao Zu Shi
Zhou, M. (In print). In Translating Chinese Internet Literature. Routledge.
2026
Conference Proceeding
What Makes AI a Good Cultural Mediator? Evidence from Literary Paratexts
Zhou, M. (2026). In Culture x AI: Evaluating AI as a Cultural Technology, ICML 2026, Seoul.
Conference Paper
Literary Canons and Algorithmic Framing: Analysis of LLM-Generated Paratexts
Zhou, M. (2026). HKADH 2026, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
2025
Preprint
Politically speaking: LLMs on changing international affairs
Cao, X., Chung, W. K., Zhao, Y., & Zhou, M. (2025). arXiv preprint.
Journal Article
Modelling character in translation: Computational and qualitative insights from wuxia fan translations
Zhou, M. (2025). Digital Studies in Language and Literature, 2(2), 246-273.
Conference Proceeding
No joke: Refusal policies for LLM cross-cultural sensitivity
Zhou, M., & Cao, X. (2025). Proceedings of AMCIS 2025. Best Paper Nominee.
Conference Paper
Mind the Gap: Investigating Digital Humanities Integration in Translation Studies Education
Zhou, M. (2025). DH2025, NOVA FCSH, Lisbon.
Conference Paper
Mapping Cultural Diplomacy: A Network Analysis of China's Silk Road Book Project Translation Initiative
Zhou, M. (2025). HKADH2025, The University of Hong Kong.
2024
Journal Article
Three faces of heroism: An empirical study of indirect literary translation between Chinese-English-Portuguese of Wuxia fiction
Zhou, M. (2024). Corpus-based Studies across Humanities, 2(1), 157-186.
Journal Article
Exploring homology of fields in translation: A sociological examination of Chinese contemporary literature translation in Portugal and Brazil
Zhou, M. (2024). Babel, 70(6), 852-870.
Conference Paper
Building Bridges or Walls? Topic Modeling for Analyzing Trust in Indirect Literary Translation
Zhou, M. (2024). DH2024, George Mason University. Paul Fortier Prize Nominee.
Book Review
Review of Corpora in Interpreting Studies: East Asia Perspective
Zhou, M. (2024). Journal of Translation Studies, 8(2), 125-129.
2023
2022
Book Chapter
Translation and reception of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen in China: From a sociological perspective
Zhou, M. (2022). In V. Borges (Ed.), Mapas Esquivos (No. 2, pp. 34-45). Cultural Institute Publishing House.
2019
Journal Article
Translation of culture-specific concepts in the context of indirect translation: The case of O Assassino
Zhou, M. (2019). Diacritica, 32(2), 387-412.
2017
Journal Article
A China Fica ao Lado: Memory displacement of Macau in the 20th century
Zhou, M. (2017). Journal of Macau Studies, 2, 65-69.
Teaching
Teaching
Introduces translation as structured cultural data, with methods for corpus analysis, metadata work, and computational interpretation.
Explores how AI and data analytics can be used to study cultural materials, patterns, circulation, and representation.
Examines generative AI as a creative medium and cultural technology, with attention to authorship, expression, and critique.
Contact
For collaboration, talks, or student research enquiries, please get in touch.
Prospective students
I am not currently accepting PhD students. I welcome enquiries from prospective MPhil students, especially those with interests or backgrounds in computer science, computational linguistics, digital humanities, AI and culture, or related areas.