Promoted by the ACM-SIGCHI Mediterranean Committee (MedCHI), the summer school “Designing Human-centric Interactive and Intelligent Technology – Human-IIT” focuses on the design of systems enhancing the interaction between users and digital systems thanks to the integration of smart technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The theme of the school echoes the remarkable evolution of interactive technologies that, in recent years, also enhanced by the recent advancements in generative AI and large models, have been increasingly integrated into digital systems and various physical settings, significantly influencing a wide range of application areas.  In these realms, diverse devices and interaction paradigms merge within digital and physical spaces, responding and adapting to the changes in contexts and user behavior. These interactions extend beyond traditional visual interfaces on control devices, allowing the users to employ gestures, gaze, voice, and direct manipulation of objects. New categories of interactive applications are therefore emerging, rooted in natural interaction paradigms, which empower users to undertake tasks easily, thereby enhancing their quality of life and promoting inclusivity across different sectors.

This evolving landscape introduces new challenges in: i) designing new paradigms for the users to interact with computing systems; ii) developing computational models capable of capturing and interpreting the characteristics of the usage context alongside the characteristics and needs of the final users; iii) employing technology responsibly, especially AI models, which must be secure and trustworthy for users.

The Summer School Human-IIT, professors and researchers from leading international universities and major companies in the IT sector will offer in-depth insights into both core principles and groundbreaking research findings on the following topics: 

• Advanced interaction paradigms for intelligent systems (embodied interaction, tangible interaction, augmented and virtual reality)  
• Conversational AI and Design of Conversational Agents 
• Large Language Models for Interactive Systems
• AI for Accessibility and Inclusion
• User Modeling and System Adaptivity 
• Interactive Technologies for specific application domains (e.g., Cultural Heritage, Health and Wellbeing, Education)

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