HCIC 2026 Call for Participation

AI’s Impact on Society

Dates            June 14 - 18, 2026

Venue           In-person at YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado

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 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.

Submission Formats

Traditional HCIC formats are presentations, panels, and “boasters,” described below, along with some novel format possibilities. Presentation and panel submissions should be sent to hcic-pc@googlegroups.com by January 31, 2026. 

Boasters should be submitted via the Google form linked below by May 1, 2026. Please contact us in advance of submission with questions or for guidance.

For all formats, authors should submit files that comply with SIGACCESS’s guide for preparing an accessible submission, which can be found by visiting the link at the end of this paragraph. This request will help curate a program that is reviewable and engageable by all HCI researchers and practitioners. We expect to publish the extended abstracts for attendees, but can optionally keep the links private if desired. Final public versions posted on the HCIC website should follow accessibility guidelines.

https://www.sigaccess.org/welcome-to-sigaccess/resources/accessible-pdf-author-guide/ 

Format

The goal of HCIC is to foster reflection and lively deliberation through speakers, panels, and other interactive formats (e.g., demos, hands-on activities, etc.). We also welcome creative variations. We encourage all authors to consider how they will be inclusive across a wide range of communication styles and preferences.

• Presentations. The standard format is a 90-minute discussion of one paper or topic. A senior researcher speaks for 40 minutes. A discussant recruited by the organizing committee will be given the paper or slides in advance to prepare a 20-minute critique or extension, followed by a 30-minute open discussion. Provocative or novel points of view that foster reflection and lively deliberation are appreciated.
• Panels. A senior researcher can organize a panel for 3-4 people to discuss a topic from different perspectives. We ask that panels prepare in advance to ensure an engaging experience for participants (see technology to communicate in panels). Researchers from multiple HCIC institutions can form a panel, having fun learning about each other’s work as they prepare.
• Novel formats. We welcome proposals for novel interactive activities (e.g., demos, hands-on activities, etc.). These experiences may involve debates, sketches, stories, role-play, and more. Contact us in advance of submission to get informal encouragement and reality checks, though the final submission should follow the format below.

To propose a standard presentation, submit an “extended abstract” PDF with an overview of your ideas and as much detail as possible in a maximum of 1200 words, excluding references. Controversial topics and well-argued fierce critiques, with strong viewpoints on the past and/or the future of HCI, are encouraged, as well as clear accounts of an under-recognized historical development or future vision.

While panels and other formats can be self-organizing, the organizers would like to hear about them early to provide informal encouragement and reality checks. These formats must also be submitted formally, following the requirements described below.

Compelling presentation submissions typically present ideas larger than a single study. Please contact us before the deadline if you have questions.

Time constraints for each session will be determined as the program coalesces; presenters will be notified weeks in advance of HCIC.

Please submit a PDF that includes:

1.    A cover page with:

1. Title
2. Author(s) and their home institutions (please indicate those who will attend, if accepted)
3. At least three keywords
4. A 150-word abstract
5. Optional for standard presentations: possible people to be the discussant

2.   The 1200-word-maximum overview (references will not be included in the word count)

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026

In HCIC, papers are curated by the program committee; full reviews are not provided to authors.

Boasters

A “boaster” is a digital poster (single Google slide) that describes your most current research endeavor and/or interest; it does not need to be related to the HCIC theme. The idea is to foster dialogue about your topic of interest/research so you can meet like-minded HCIC attendees. The submission format for a boaster is as follows: a short description of your perspective and interest in this area, plus a description of your work in the form of a single slide. You can use images and text to frame and illustrate your ideas.

Boasters offer an opportunity to showcase the work of new and experienced authors alike to spark further conversations at the conference. A list with boaster titles, authors, and abstracts will be distributed during HCIC. Each boaster author may contribute one digital poster-slide and present for up to 60 seconds at the conference (we will be strict about timing; please practice). We strongly encourage all student attendees to submit a boaster to HCIC. All boasters submitted by attending individuals are automatically accepted.

We encourage you to think of this as a presentation of something you are currently thinking about or an overall introduction to yourself.

Please send your boaster submission information with the following by the assigned due dates:

• Due May 1: Google form response for boasters: Google form

1. Title
2. Author(s) (indicate those available to chat at the meeting)
3. At least three keywords
4. A 150-word abstract
   

• Due June 1: Prepare one Google slide (“Boaster”). Boaster submitters will receive a link to add their one slide to a Google slide deck.  You will present your slide for up to 60 seconds at the conference. The Google Slide Deck will be available in mid-May; completed sides due June 1.

• Please make your presentation accessible. For example, adding alt text descriptions of images on the digital version of the poster is necessary so everyone can  engage with your content. Provide rich descriptions of any slides with images, rather than saying things like “as you can see here,” and cover all displayed content.
• A deck template will be provided, but you should feel free to throw it out and start with something fresh that communicates your ideas. However, your slide must include your name at a minimum. Please keep in mind that we’re in person and not on Zoom, so fewer words at a larger font are better than more words.
• Finally, again, please practice! We will be strict about the time limit.

Summary of Important Dates

• January 31 - Submission Deadline for presentations and demos
• Early February - Notification of authors of accepted presentation and demos
• March - Registration opens (hotel reservations are included with registration)
• April 12 - Registration CLOSES
• May 1 - Deadline for boaster abstracts submitted using the Google Form
• May 11 - Slide deck link shared to boaster authors
• June 1 - Slides for boaster due
• June 14-18 - HCIC Meeting (YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, CO)

Registration

Registration information will be sent out to member institutions and publicly posted on http://hcic.org early in 2026. Registration closes on Sunday, April 12, 2026. After April 12, rooms are not guaranteed to late registrants.

HCIC Rules

• Only faculty, staff, and students of member organizations may submit abstracts for this call. Abstracts may have non-member co-authors, but the board must approve attendance or co-presentation. If you have questions about whether you are eligible, or are interested in becoming a member organization, please email hcic-pc@googlegroups.com.
• Students are not eligible to submit proposals for presentations or panels. However, they are strongly encouraged to submit a “boaster,” short descriptions of their interests and current work in the form of single-slide posters. Students may also serve as co-authors along with a senior (i.e., post-terminal-degree) author, but one or more senior authors are expected to attend and present.

Program Chairs

The 2026 program chairs are:

Nicki Dell — Cornell Tech
Renee Shelby — Google Research
Norman Makoto Su — University of California, Santa Cruz

Program Chair email (for program questions): hcic-pc@googlegroups.com 

Admin email (for meeting/logistics questions): humancomputerorg@gmail.com