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Join us for our online seminar series event hosted by MIT Media Lab's Advancing Humans with AI (AHA) research program. This upcoming event features Albrecht Schmidt, Professor of Computer Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich, and will be moderated by Pattie Maes.
As artificial intelligence advances, human-computer interaction is no longer just about designing interfaces - it is about designing reality itself. The interface is no longer a separate entity; it is interwoven with our interactions in the world. Our capabilities and limitations are increasingly dependent on digital tools and the way we interact with them. AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Large Language Models (LLMs) are fundamentally changing the way we perceive and manipulate our environment. This is shaping our reality! This talk asks: what meaningful contributions can humans make in a world where AI is exhibiting advanced creativity, solving complex problems, and making decisions based on more comprehensive information than any human can comprehend? Reflecting on automation and the over 70-year-old HABA-MABA principle, we explore what remains uniquely human today. Do we need to rethink our relationship with digital technology and our approach to designing large, interconnected, interactive systems? How can human-centered AI systems empower people and enhance human agency? We will discuss and share examples of how to move from user interface design to reality design to create experiences that are meaningful for individuals and responsible for society at large.
Albrecht Schmidt is Professor of Computer Science at the Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität (LMU) in Munich, where he holds the Chair for Human-Centered Ubiquitous Media. His research and teaching interests are human-centered artificial intelligence, intelligent interactive systems, ubiquitous computing, digital media technologies, and digital technologies for human augmentation. He studied computer science in Ulm and Manchester and received his PhD from Lancaster University in 2003. Albrecht was the conference co-chair of the ACM SIGCHI 2023 conference, he is on the editorial board of the ACM TOCHI journal, and he is the co-founder of the ACM conference TEI and Automotive User interfaces. He was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy in 2018, elected to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2020, and named an ACM Fellow in 2023.