About the Workshop

The last few years have seen a significant rise in interest in highly autonomous and proactive systems, fueled by advances in AI. Systems that anticipate user needs, take initiative, and act without explicit user input. Such systems span a wide range of applications, from smart lighting that adapts to user activity to assistive robots that plan actions in advance to intelligent thermostats that learn routines and adjust environments proactively. Despite this breadth, the concept of proactivity remains loosely defined and inconsistently applied across research and practice. Current usage of the term often conflates fundamentally different system behaviors. For instance, simple reminders or recommendation systems are frequently labeled as proactive, even though underlying mechanisms and intentions differ significantly. This conceptual ambiguity limits our ability to systematically design, compare, and evaluate proactive systems. Moreover, existing methodologies for design and evaluation are largely rooted in reactive interaction paradigms, failing to address the unique challenges posed by proactive behavior, including timing, appropriateness, user control, transparency, and trust. This multidisciplinary workshop aims to establish a clearer and more rigorous foundation for understanding proactive systems. We bring together researchers and practitioners from Human-Computer Interaction, AI, and related fields to (1) develop a shared conceptualization of proactivity, (2) identify gaps and limitations in current design and evaluation approaches, and (3) co-create human-centered guidelines and research directions for future systems. Through interactive discussions and collaborative activities, the workshop seeks to map key challenges and opportunities, ultimately advancing robust and consistent frameworks for designing and evaluating proactive technologies.

Attendance & Call for Papers:

Attendance in this workshop is open to all GI participants.
Participants who would like to present work-in-progress, preliminary ideas, methodological approaches, or design insights related to proactive technologies are invited to submit a position paper (2–4 pages). Each submission will undergo independent review by at least two workshop organizers before acceptance. Authors of accepted submissions will have the opportunity to present their work during the workshop.
Please send your position papers to: nima.zargham@utoronto.ca

Submission Deadline: May 27th, 2026
Notifications: June 3rd, 2026

Participants who would like to attend and join the discussions without presenting are very welcome and do not need to submit a paper.

Workshop Date:

June 11th, 2026

Location:

Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Contact:

nima.zargham@utoronto.ca

Organizers

Nima Zargham

Nima is a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on human-AI communication and collaboration. He has organized workshops at notable HCI conferences (e.g., CHI, CUI, HRI, IUI, and IVA) and serves on the steering committee of the ACM CUI conference series.

Sharon Ferguson

Sharon is an Assistant Professor in Management Science and Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She leads the SHARE lab (Social and Human-centered AI for Reimagined Engagement), and her research focuses on AI and the future of work, particularly how AI can help and harm team collaboration. She has organized workshops at HCI and design conferences.

Jaisie Sin

Jaisie is an Assistant Professor at Carleton University and the Canada Research Chair in Accessibility and Digital Technology. Her research investigates how to design technologies that are accessible, inclusive, and aligned with older adults’ needs. Her ongoing work investigates the development of conversational systems and agents that are proactive in supporting users often underrepresented in technology design.

Cosmin Munteanu

Cosmin is an Associate Professor and Schlegel Research Chair in Technology for Healthy Aging at the Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, and Director of the Technologies for Aging Gracefully lab. Their work is situated at the intersection of user experience design, digital inclusion, aging, natural language processing, and ethics, primarily focusing on the sociotechnical design of inclusive interfaces with and for older adults. Cosmin has previously organized several workshops in prestigious conferences including ACM CHI and ACM CUI.

Anastasia Kuzminykh

Anastasia is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Information, cross-appointed to the Department of Computer Science. She is an Associate Director of The Knowledge Media Design Institute, a member of The Data Science Institute, a Faculty Affiliate with the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, and the Director of the COoKIE AI research group (Communication, Organization of Knowledge, Information Ecosystems). Her work is situated at the intersection of AI Agent Design, Explainable AI, AI Safety, Natural Language Processing, and Conversational Interface Design. She has previously organized multiple workshops, including at the ACM CHI, ACM COMPASS, and IEEE CASCON.

Workshop Activities

Session Details Duration
Welcome and Introduction Brief introductions from the organizers and participants, outlining the workshop's theme and objectives, and providing an overview of the day's agenda. 15 min
Activity 1 - Framing Proactivity Participants will be divided into small groups. Each group will discuss key characteristics of proactive systems and examine related terms such as autonomy, automation, and system-initiated interaction, identifying where these concepts overlap and where they diverge from proactivity. Each group will develop a brief working definition of proactivity, identify core dimensions, and provide examples or counterexamples. Insights will be shared in a brief plenary discussion to build a shared understanding and highlight open questions. 30 min
Presentation and Discussion Workshop organizers will present a brief overview of prior research on proactive systems, highlighting key findings, design challenges, and open questions. Building on Activity 1, participants will reflect on how these research insights align with or challenge their previously developed definitions and dimensions of proactivity. A guided plenary discussion follows, in which we compare perspectives, surface similarities and differences, and collaboratively identify the key areas and dimensions most critical for designing and studying proactive systems. 30 min
Coffee Break Informal networking over coffee. 30 min
Activity 2 - Scenario Design Participants will be divided into new small groups to develop scenarios involving people interacting with proactive systems. These can include both current and speculative future contexts. Each group will create a set of scenarios illustrating different forms of proactivity, focusing on user experience, system behavior, and potential challenges. 30 min
Activity: Scenario Analysis Groups will exchange scenarios with another group. For each scenario, they will identify key design considerations (e.g., timing, transparency, control, appropriateness) and propose potential evaluation approaches or metrics (e.g., trust, usefulness, user comfort). Insights will be briefly shared and discussed, synthesising insights across groups and linking them to broader workshop goals. 30 min
Closing Organisers summarise the workshop's key outcomes. Together with participants, they identify concrete research questions, potential collaborations, and outline future directions for community-building. 15 min

Call For Participation

We aim to bring together researchers from HCI, AI, psychology, accessibility, and related fields to enable cross-disciplinary dialogue with the following objective:

The workshop will be held exclusively in person. Attendance in this workshop will be open to GI participants without requiring paper submissions.