TL;DR

Seeking $1,310 in travel support to present our work on misleading AI-generated security explanations at AIES 2026.

Project summary

I would like to request a partial travel grant for my paper presentation in AAAI/ACM conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society (AIES-26).
My paper "Grounded but Misleading: Evaluating Semantic Alignment in AI-Generated Security Explanations" is about how LLM-generated explanation can mislead users even when they use the correct evidence (from Detector + XAI). For example, the detector may correctly identify phishing cues such as "account suspended", "update your information", but LLM may explain these cues as "routine banking security procedure", potentially giving the user false reassurance. Our work shows AI explanation may be grounded in correct evidence but it does not guarantee the right explanation.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

Primary goal is to present my paper in AIES-26. The paper has been assigned as a poster session.

I also hope to explore current AI safety research and connect with other researchers. This is especially important to me because, while I have experience using AI to improve online safety and developing guardrails, I would like to explore more fundamental questions about how we can build safety mechanisms into models themselves

One of the topics I am particularly interested in is subliminal learning where I would like to explore how we can recover from those effects. Participating in AIES-26 would help me to better shape my future research agendas.

How will this funding be used?

Round-Trip Flight (Roanoke - Copenhagen Airport): $972
Lodging (4 nights) : $400
Student Registration Fee: $250
Meals Per Diem Rates: $147 * 4 days = $588
Other Travel Expenses: $150
(Train between Copenhagen to Malmo, Public Transportation, Transportation to Airport)

Total: $2360
What we currently have: $1050
Shortage: $2360 - $1050 = $1310

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am the presenter and grant requester for this project.
Here is my Website and Google Scholar

My research focuses on AI safety and security, particularly for vulnerable users. My previous work includes LLM-based approaches for cyber grooming, AI guardrails for teenagers, a systematic review of AI safety research in cyber grooming, and XAI-based scam prevention.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

The main risk is that I am not able to find funding to attend AIES 2026. If this happens, I won't be able to attend conference in person, present my work. Also, I will miss opportunity to connect with other researchers as well as discuss on my current research topic.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

Graduate and Professional Student Senate Travel Fund ($300)

CS Departmental Travel Funding ($750)