By Soobin Cho, HCDE PhD student
Nov. 23, 2025
Last week, I attended my first HAI conference in Yokohama, Japan. Over the two days, I listened to many paper presentations and also presented my own poster.
Since it was my first time attending HAI(Human Agent Interaction), I enjoyed hearing a wide range of research related to agents. Most of the work seemed to fall into two areas: studies on conversational agents and studies on robots. The chatbot-related research examined in detail various questions that have become important with the advancement of LLMs. One study I remember focused on Replika, an AI companion product I have been interested in for a while, and presented survey findings from its users. The robotics-related research was all fascinating to me, as I haven’t had much exposure to human-robot interaction. One memorable study investigated pet-robot designs for older adults, looking closely at aspects such as tactile qualities and size to understand which design features elderly users prefer.
During the poster session, I introduced my work to researchers who were interested in my poster and answered their questions. I continuously presented my research to many people for about two hours, so I didn’t have time to look at other posters. However, after the session ended, I did have a chance to talk with other poster presenters.
It was my first time both submitting to and attending HAI, and I’m glad I discovered this conference. It was a great experience.
Give to support HCDE student travel
The Mary B. Coney Endowed Fund, named in honor of Emeritus Professor Mary Coney, supports HCDE students by funding costs associated with travel to conferences and international workshops. Your support of this fund enriches the HCDE student experience and enhances HCDE's influence in the field.