On November 5, 2025, Dr. Hang Lu, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan, delivered a seminar titled “From Text to Image to Video: Exploring Generative AI for Public Interest Communication.” Dr. Lu’s research focuses on audience responses to media messages concerning science, health, environmental, and risk (SHER) issues, and the strategic design of such messages to maximize their societal impact.

 

In the seminar, Dr. Hang LU introduced his research in examining how text-,image-,and video-based Al tools shape public interest communication across three studies. Tracing the evolution from text to multimodal formats, Dr. Lu illuminated the transformative potential of these technologies while highlighting their limitations and associated ethical challenges.

 

Faculty members, doctoral students, and scholars all contributed meaningful questions during the Q&A session, enhancing the discussion and providing deeper insights into these topics.