Who We Are
Human Matters Lab is an independent, transdisciplinary research collective exploring what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence.
Grounded in human-centered approaches to AI and robotics, the Lab brings together technology, art, literature, education, and philosophy to examine how emerging technologies shape human meaning, creativity, ethics, and society.
Vision
Our vision is to ensure that artificial intelligence serves human flourishing, deepens our search for meaning, and protects the values that make us human.
Because in the age of AI, meaning still matters.
Research & Collaboration
Academia & Research
→ interdisciplinary research collaboration across AI, philosophy, education, ethics, policy, science, engineering, arts, and literature
→ collaboration on national and international research networks and policy-oriented projects
→ co-organization of conferences, workshops, lectures, exhibitions, and research events
Education
→ AI literacy and human-centered AI education programs
→ interdisciplinary teacher training workshops
NGOs, Policymakers & Institutions
→ collaboration on events, awareness programs, and dissemination activities
→ research-based contributions to human rights, well-being, democratic values, and responsible AI governance
Researchers
She is an educator and researcher working in the fields of educational technologies and the philosophy of artificial intelligence. Her interdisciplinary work brings together AI literacy, AI policy, governance, and philosophy. Her research explores what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence, focusing on extended and expanding conceptions of reality and mind, as well as a human-centered approach to AI grounded in human rights, ethical values, and human well-being.
She completed the Artificial Intelligence Policy program at the Center for AI and Digital Policy in Spring 2026 with distinction, with a focus on research, writing, and policy analysis.
Celale Esra Algan PhD(c)
Publications &
Presentations
IGSIS 2026 - International Graduate Students Interdisciplinary Symposium
→ The Ontological Status of Reality Today and Artificial Intelligence As An Agent, Accepted paper
ETZ 26 - Educational Technology Summit
→Artificial Intelligence Ethical Literacy: Instructional Design with Philosophical Approaches, Presentation
1st National Symposium on Teacher Well-Being in the Age of Artificial Intelligence 2025
→ Teaching Artificial Intelligence Ethics through Gamification, Accepted paper
IETC 23 - International Educational Technology Conference
→Reality Perception According to David Chalmers' View of Virtual Reality, Accepted paper
→Evaluation of David Chalmers' Extended Theory of Mind in the Context of Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, Accepted paper
GESS Turkiye 2023
→Reality Perception According to David Chalmers' View of Virtual Reality, Presentation
Projects
Augmented Reality and Generative AI-Supported Well-Being Workshops in Pediatric Oncology
In collaboration with Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Child Academy and Application Center / Children’s University, we are conducting well-being workshops for children receiving treatment at the Pediatric Oncology Department of Çapa Faculty of Medicine, focusing on augmented reality and generative artificial intelligence applications.
Through these workshops, we aim to support children’s participation in play, exploration, creativity, and self-expression through technology, while fostering their emotional well-being, curiosity, and creative self-confidence within the hospital experience.
TÜBİTAK Secondary and High School Students’ Research Projects
2026 – TÜBİTAK İstanbul Asia Regional Science Fair (Values and Ethics Education Category)
Supervised a middle school student team project on “The Energy Footprint of AI: A Green Intelligence Manifesto for Environmental Responsibility and Global Justice”.
2025 – TÜBİTAK İstanbul Asia Regional Science Fair (Values and Ethics Education Category)
Supervised a middle school student team project on “Gamified Escape Rooms for Teaching AI Ethics”
, awarded Regional Second Prize.
2024 – TÜBİTAK İstanbul Asia Regional Science Fair (History Category)
Supervised a middle school student team project on “Digital horizons, cultural borders: the sustainability of our cultural heritage in the Metaverse” awarded Regional Second Prize.
