Focus on people and AI: two major conferences in Karlsuhe
One week, two conferences on artificial intelligence (AI) and how it affects people. With Mensch und Computer 2024 and the UIG conference two major events in Karlsruhe will be dedicated to future technology from September 1 to 5. We take a look at the two events.
The prestigious “Mensch und Computer” (MuC) conference will take place from September 1 to 4, 2024. This conference series, which has been established since 2001, offers scientists and industry experts a platform to discuss innovative forms of interaction between humans and digital technology, user-centered development methods and interactive applications. Directly following Mensch und Computer 2024, the UIG conference will then be all about Network, network, network! Have fun, learn from experts, gain practical insights, share knowledge and take it with you!
The aim of the MuC is to promote the exchange between science and practice, to stimulate research activities and training and to raise awareness of the importance of user-friendly technology design. The predominantly English-language contributions are published in the “ACM Digital Library” or the “Digital Library of the GI”, which increases the international visibility of the research results.
The conference reflects the increasing importance of the usability of technology in all areas of life. Whereas in the past the issue of usability was primarily limited to workplaces, today it is omnipresent in an information-based society. The MuC conference series aims to bring together different disciplines and fields of practice in order to learn from each other and make progress together.
Despite its international character, the MuC remains an important meeting of the German-speaking MCI community, where scientific results are also presented in English. The established slogan “Mensch und Computer – where the German HCI community meets” underlines this.
First it’s “humans and computers”, then “humans and AI”
The event continues on 5 September with the UIG conference, organized by the non-profit association Usability in Germany (UIG e.V.), this year’s theme is “People and AI”. The event, which is aimed at professionals from the fields of design, UX, usability and software development, promises an exciting program on the design of AI applications in the working environment.
A look behind the scenes: The Human-Centered Systems Lab
Alexander Mädche, Professor of Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), opens the conference with an insight into his research. “My name is Alexander Mädche, I am Professor of Information Systems and Human-Computer Interaction at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. And we are researching how systems, especially information systems, can be designed in such a way that people enjoy using them and that they are human-centered. And that’s also the name of our lab, our research group Human-Centered Systems Lab. That’s what I head up at KIT.”
His laboratory is dedicated to the question of how information systems can be made more user-friendly and useful. This human-centered approach is essential in order to develop technologies that are not only powerful, but also intuitive and accessible.
The origin and mission of UIG e.V.
UIG e.V. was founded many years ago by Alexander Mädche and a few colleagues. “The UIG is a non-profit association that I founded many years ago with a few colleagues because the idea was, what can we do to help companies build better systems or better software? Not better in the sense of faster or more secure, but more useful and usable. So that people can use it more easily,” reports Mädche.
The annual UIG conference is a central component of this mission. It serves as a platform for the exchange of best practices and the networking of experts involved in the user-friendly design of software and systems. This year in particular, with its focus on people and AI, exciting discussions and presentations are expected.
Humans and AI: opportunities and challenges
The rapid progress of artificial intelligence (AI) is not only creating new opportunities, but also challenges. “This year we also have the topic of humans and AI. We all know that there are many new AI applications. Chat GPT is certainly the best known. But the question is, what does it actually do to us humans? Is it always good or does it perhaps also have negative effects? And what could be done to ensure that all this great technology has a sensible effect? And that’s exactly what we want to discuss at the OIG conference,” says Mädche.
A key issue here is the balance between automation and human control. “The fact is that if you increase the level of automation, this can of course lead to people losing their identity, losing control and perhaps also experiencing a kind of loss of knowledge because they no longer perform their tasks. And that’s where I’m worried. I think we need to think carefully about how we use technology without placing too much trust in it,” warns Mädche.
The conference provides a platform for discussing these issues and finding solutions for integrating AI applications into everyday working life in a sensible and ethical way.
Target group and network
The event is aimed at experts who are directly involved in design, UX, usability and software development. “It’s about people who are directly involved with the topic. These are, of course, the people who are involved in design, UX and usability anyway. So ultimately professionals in the business, but also people who have product responsibility in software development, who have to think about the technical side, yes, how do we actually implement this now?” explains Mädche.
Participants benefit from the opportunity to network, learn best practices and share experiences. “Software-producing companies, but also software-using companies, will hopefully benefit from networking, learning best practices, getting to know people and learning from the experiences of others on how they have approached the topic,” emphasizes Mädche.
The transfer mission of UIG e.V.
A central concern of UIG e.V. is to put research results into practice. “That’s our transfer mission, which we fulfill with the UIG, to say how we can get this topic into companies. That’s our mission,” concludes Mädche.
A special highlight: Ben Shneiderman (University of Maryland)
A special highlight awaits the participants as the grand finale of the conference. “At the end of the conference, we will be delighted by Ben Schneiderman online. He is a veteran of this entire community of human-centered AI,” announces Mädche.
The UIG Conference 2024 promises to be a valuable opportunity to discuss current topics in human-AI interaction and gain new impetus for practical applications. We look forward to inspiring presentations and lively discussions!