Upcoming
| Theme | AI’s Impact on Society |
| Location | YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado |
| Date | June 14 - 18, 2026 |
AI has the potential to reshape our social worlds, with applications in key sectors like finance, education, and health; via agents acting on our behalf; and with broad user engagement on topics ranging from the mundane to the sensitive. Alongside AI’s many potential benefits, there are also profound risks: of misuse, displacement, and deepening inequality. As we learn to live, work, and grow alongside “intelligent” systems, HCI researchers are uniquely positioned to consider, or even reject, AI’s integration into everyday life. How can we design systems that not only innovate, but elevate what it means to learn, connect, and thrive collectively in a society replete with AI?
We invite contributions that examine the societal impacts of AI through the lens of Human-Computer Interaction. Submissions may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Design and evaluation of AI-powered systems aimed at addressing complex societal challenges in domains such as health, education, sustainability, and civic engagement
- Studies of how AI systems are entangled with broader societal dynamics, including issues of equity, agency, access, abuse, and unintended consequences
- Critical or conceptual work that interrogates the assumptions, values, and power structures embedded in AI technologies
- Interventions or applications that foreground human needs, participation, and long-term social and ethical outcomes
We especially welcome work that goes beyond technical feasibility to explore how AI systems are experienced, shaped, and contested in real-world contexts. Through these themes, we aim to provoke dialogue about HCI’s role in advancing responsible, equitable, and impactful uses of AI for societal good.
Proposals will be accepted between early December 2025 through late January 2026 (exact dates TBA). The call for proposals will go out to all governing board members, the HCIC-ALL email list, and will be posted on the HCIC's LinkedIn page.
The 2026 program chairs are:
Nicki Dell — Cornell Tech
Renee Shelby — Google
Norman Makoto Su — University of California, Santa Cruz
The Human-Computer Interaction Consortium was founded in 1988 as a means of fostering interaction among universities, companies, and government research laboratories interested in promoting academic training, basic and applied research, and technology transfer in the area of Human-Computer Interaction.
Membership is by organization and only employees of member organizations are eligible to participate in the activities of the consortium. Institutions interested in becoming a member should inquire with the officers.
In 2023, HCIC adopted a policy to expand access to its annual meeting to students and postdoc, faculty, researcher, or other guests from non-member institutions.
The Annual Conference is organized around a theme each year and may feature invited speakers on the topic. The event is held at a "retreat" venue, usually away from large cities or member organization campuses/headquarters.
The Human-Computer Interaction Consortium (HCIC): A History by Gary Olson . The primary author of this history was Gary Olson, but many others offered important input, since much of this history has had to be reconstructed from memories rather than a wealth of documents. Those who have added substantially to this have been Martha Polson, Don Norman, Judy Olson, Terry Roberts, Gerhard Fischer, and Clayton Lewis.