Human-Centered AI Research Intern, Generative Human Modeling

Job Description

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team in Human-Centered AI, Automated Driving, Energy & Materials, Human Interactive Driving, Large Behavior Models, and

Robotics.

The Team

This internship opportunity falls within the Human Behavior and Carbon Neutrality Department of Human-Centered AI Division (HCAI). We are an integrated team of ML researchers, behavior scientists, and human-computer interaction researchers. At the core of our work, we aim to enable decisions through human-AI technology that advance collective well-being for people and the planet.

The Internship

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD research intern to join our human behavior and carbon neutrality team to push the boundaries of generative human modeling. The intern will collaborate with our interdisciplinary team of machine learning and behavioral scientists to investigate how generative machine learning models represent aspects of human reasoning and decision-making, and to explore methods for improving alignment with human perspectives. The project will be focused on researching in a specific sub-area of the overall goal, towards publication in a top-tier venue. Aside from the publication goal of the internship, the intern will engage in strategy discussions about how the research connects to business impact at Toyota.

This is a Summer 2026 paid 12-week internship opportunity. Please note that this internship will be a hybrid in-office role.

Responsibilities

Perform research and publish in a relevant venue.

Publication target venues include NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, and CHI depending on the exact project outcome.

The exact topic is to be finalized with the mentor.

Take ownership of the project from project inception and ideation to validation of the developed methods.

Collaborate cross-functionally with researchers in multiple fields to research and develop technology that leverages generative AI to understand human behavior.

Qualifications

Ph.D. Student in related fields - AI/ML, computer science, computational social science, or related field

Publication record in relevant topics. Specific areas include: LLMs and alignment and benchmarking, computational human modeling and understanding.

Experience with Python programming and DL frameworks like Pytorch.

Interest in human-centered research (e.g. behavioral data science, computational social science, human-computer interaction), including qualitative and/or quantitative methods such as experiments and user studies.

Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Please add a link to Google Scholar to include a full list of publications when submitting your CV for this position.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $45 and $65/hour for California-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, business or organizational needs, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time). Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Please reference this Candidate Privacy Notice to inform you of the categories of personal information that we collect from individuals who inquire about and/or apply to work for Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which we use such personal information.

TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

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