/lɪŋˈɡwɪstɪks ənd eɪ aɪ/

Madison is a linguistics and AI researcher, studying the intersection of AI safety & language.

About

With over a decade of experience in linguistics research and the tech industry, Madison is uniquely positioned to translate complex AI concepts into actionable insights. She earned the U.S. State Department NSLi-y scholarship in 2014 to study Korean in Seoul, South Korea and graduated magna cum laude from Colorado State University with a degree in English Language and Linguistics. During her studies, Madison worked as a linguistics research intern, investigating Colorado sociophonetics, and project manager for a leading energy research lab. In her current role at Appen, she produces original research and thought leadership on cutting-edge topics in AI for technical and enterprise audiences. Passionate about responsible AI innovation, Madison advocates for sustainable and equitable growth in the industry through her research and philanthropy with the Na’amal Foundation, where she mentors emerging talent in Ethiopia.

Publications

  • This pilot study explores how well leading multilingual LLMs translate culturally nuanced language—like idioms, humor, tone, and local references—across 20+ languages, using real marketing copy as a test case. Phase two is in progress. Read the paper.

  • This research explores adversarial prompting in LLMs, featuring a benchmarking study of leading models across harm categories. Read the paper.

  • This literature review paper explores a research-based approach to AI safety best practices across the AI lifecycle with examples highlighting AI safety in high-risk industries, such as law and medicine. Read the paper.

  • This work introduces CoT reasoning for LLMs featuring an expert case study on how Appen built a mathematical reasoning dataset for a leading technology company. Read the paper.

  • As a linguistics research intern for Dr. Cory Holland at Colorado State University, my work contributed to her publication on Colorado vowels. Read the paper.

  • I supported Dr. Sangbok Kim in the development of his Anytime Korean language learning solution as a research assistant and auditor. Learn more.

  • Contributing author to The Language of Localization published by XML Press. Read the book.