Education

• PhD, Information Systems, University of South Florida (2025)
• MA, Statistics, University of South Florida (2020)

Biography

Dr. Zheyi “Zoe” Xu, an assistant professor of business analytics and information systems, conducts research on how individuals react to user- and AI-generated online content such as social media posts and AI-generated summaries, as well as how IT investments and strategies influence a firm’s operational outcomes.

Her current research projects in the field of AI-generated content examine the effect that AI-generated product reviews have on individual customer’s decision-making. Since 2023, Amazon and other companies have begun creating  single-paragraph product reviews that are based on large numbers of actual user-created reviews. Xu’s findings implied that the AI summaries may function differently from other types of information traditionally available in online review platforms.

Xu earned her PhD in Information Systems in 2025 from the University of South Florida, where her doctoral dissertation examined how individuals react to the phenomenon of online moral outrage, and how AI-generated product review summaries influence prospective customers’ decision-making.

As a doctoral candidate, she taught Business Data Communications, Global Cyber Ethics and Systems Analysis and Design. At Auburn, she is teaching Telecommunications Management (ISMN 5040).

In her spare time, she enjoys her pet cats, sci-fi movies and theme parks.