Shuyan Zhou: An AI Collaboration Agent

For Shuyan Zhou, necessity really was the mother of invention.

Zhou gifted her mother a Chinese version of Alexa, and while she loved it, the device was limited and unable to do much beyond executing simple commands. If her mother needed to book airline tickets, for example, she’d still call her daughter who would then walk her through the process, step by step. This got Zhou thinking about how many people — parents included — struggle with technology, even though today’s devices come packed with powerful features. 

“I wondered why there wasn’t a system that let us just talk to our devices the way we talk to each other,” Zhou recalls. “That question made me want to design technology that is more accessible, creating something that turns all these technological capabilities into actions that actually help people.” 

From there, the assistant professor in Computer Science became interested in natural language interfaces, the technology that allows us to talk to our devices in everyday human language without needing complex commands or complicated programming. The core of her work revolves around three interconnected elements: AI agents, environments and humans. Zhou believes the future lies at the intersection of the three, where humans and AI agents work together to accomplish tasks.

Not quite sure what an AI agent is? Zhou explains it is a system that can understand intent, interpret instructions and carry out tasks automatically with minimal back and forth. “Instead of humans guiding it through every small step, the agent understands what we want and figures out how to make it happen.”

Zhou is currently working on a project involving a computer-use agent. This type of AI agent can understand what is happening on a computer screen and simulate keyboard mouse operations. “For example, if you needed to schedule a meeting with three co-workers on a Wednesday, the computer-use agent would be able to open your Outlook calendar, find a suitable time, mark it and send out the invitations — just as a human assistant would,” Zhou explains. 

Ultimately, Zhou’s vision is to create AI agents that collaborate seamlessly with humans and environments. “This integration of human, agent and environment points toward a future where AI isn’t just a tool but also a partner in problem-solving and productivity.”

She hopes her research will generate insights that benefit not only the academic community but also industry and everyday users. While some of her work is application-oriented, it can also serve as a prototype for what future systems could look like. Zhou wants to bridge the gap between academia and industry, especially as the AI field is moving quickly on both fronts. 

“Academia offers the freedom to test bold ideas without the same constraints as industry, while industry has the resources to bring innovations to scale,” she explains. “Ideally, my research could help foster collaboration between the two, ensuring that advancements in AI are both practical and impactful across communities.”

Liu is one of two faculty joining the Department of Computer Sciences this fall, along with Siqi Liu.