CALL FOR PAPERS: CONVERSATIONS 2026 – TENTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CHATBOT RESEARCH AND HUMAN-CENTRED AI, AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, NOVEMBER 23-25

We are delighted to announce that the call for papers for CONVERSATIONS 2026 is open. CONVERSATIONS is a symposium dedicated to the latest advancements in chatbots and human-centred AI. This is the tenth CONVERSATIONS, and will be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 23-25 at the University of Amsterdam, at the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR).

CONVERSATIONS 2026 will bring together researchers and practitioners from multiple disciplines to share from their research on human-centred AI. The symposium will cover topics such as chatbot research and design, human-AI interaction, human-AI collaboration and decision-making, trustworthy AI, and human-centred research on generative AI and large language models.

To celebrate our tenth year, the two symposium days of CONVERSATIONS 2026 are extended with a preceding doctoral consortium to allow students in the field to meet, discuss, and receive feedback on their PhD work.

All paper presentations will be conducted on-site at the symposium location. For selected sessions we will provide online attendance for a broader audience, but all presenters must be physically present. Accepted full and short papers will be included in the CONVERSATIONS proceedings published as a volume in Springer LNCS (final confirmation pending).

===
DATE: November 23-25
LOCATION: University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, Netherlands
SYMPOSIUM FORMAT: On-site presentations and participation
PAPER SUBMISSION DEADLINE (firm deadline): September 5
WEBSITE: https://2026.conversations.ws/
===

The symposium is highly interdisciplinary, spanning disciplines such as informatics, media and communication science, linguistics and philosophy, psychology and sociology, management and marketing, engineering, design, and human-computer interaction.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
FULL PAPERS: Empirical studies, theoretical contributions, design research, or presentations of chatbots and human-centred AI that advance the state-of-the-art (12-16 pages, Springer LNCS format, anonymous submission, double blind review). To be presented at the symposium and published in the Springer LNCS proceedings.

SHORT PAPERS: Preliminary findings from empirical studies or innovative implementations of chatbots and human-centred AI with potential to advance the state-of-the-art (6-8 pages, Springer LNCS format, anonymous submission, double blind review). To be presented at the symposium and published in the Springer LNCS proceedings.

POSITION PAPERS AND PROJECT PRESENTATIONS: Presentations of exciting research projects, sharing of preliminary results and work in progress, or author positions on open issues regarding chatbots and human-centred AI (3-6 pages, Springer LNCS format, non-anonymous submission, single blind review). To be presented at the symposium and published at the CONVERSATIONS webpage.

DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM EXTENDED ABSTRACTS - RESEARCH ESCALATOR SESSIONS: the doctoral consortium (November 23) is an arena for PhD students and early phase researchers to discuss and receive feedback on ongoing or planned work, to develop it towards a conference or journal submission. Submissions should be extended abstracts of the work, outline motivation, research question, theoretical framework, methodology, and questions by the doctoral candidate (3-6 pages, Springer LNCS format, non-anonymous submission, single blind review). This session is organized in partnership with the Human Machine Communication division of the Netherlands and Flanders Communication Association (NeFCA).

Full and short papers, as well as position papers and project presentations, will all be reviewed by three independent reviewers. Doctoral consortium extended abstracts will be reviewed by a jury with members from the organizing committee and NeFCA.

IMPORTANT DATES
- September 5: Submission deadline (firm deadline)
- October 10: Author notification
- October 25: Submission of revised papers
- November 23-25: Symposium

CALL FOR REVIEWERS – PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEMBERS
As in previous years, we have an open call for reviewers to CONVERSATIONS 2026. If you would like to contribute to the review process for the symposium, register your interest at https://2026.conversations.ws/call-for-reviewers-program-committee-members/. Reviewers should have a PhD, be in a PhD education program, or have substantial relevant experience from industry.

KEY TOPICS OF INTEREST
The following topics are of particular interest.

1. CHATBOT RESEARCH AND DESIGN. Insight on chatbot user groups, their context of use, and their user experience. Design for efficient and engaging conversational interactions. Democratization of chatbots and chatbots for all. Developments in chatbot frameworks and platforms.

2. HUMAN-AI INTERACTION. Studies of the dynamics of human interaction with AI systems. Insight to help understand and improve how humans perceive, interpret, and respond to AI. Design principles and guidelines for human-AI interaction.

3. HUMAN-AI COLLABORATION AND DECISION MAKING. Explorations of the synergy between humans and AI in collaboration and decision-making. Sliding decision making between humans and AI. Collaborative intelligence, where human intuition and creativity are enhanced by AI’s data-processing capabilities. Frameworks for effective human-AI partnerships in various domains.

4. TRUSTWORTHY AI. Human agency and oversight of AI systems. Ethical aspects of AI, including fairness and non-discrimination. Transparency and accountability of AI. Alignment of AI-systems to human values. Building justified public trust in AI. AI for societal and environmental well-being.

5. HUMAN-CENTRED RESEARCH ON GENERATIVE AI AND LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS. User uptake and experiences of generative AI and large language models. Business and government applications. Societal implications. Impact of generative AI and large language models on education, creativity and knowledge work.

APPLICATION AREAS
The relevant application areas for CONVERSATIONS 2026 include the following:

- GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SERVICE. Providing information and services to citizens or supporting government service provision.
- AT WORK. The use of chatbots and human-centred AI applications in decision support tools, as interface for business intelligence applications, and to support general office work.
- AT HOME. The use of chatbots and human-centred AI to find and access information and services in a home environment. Applications for home assistants.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE. Chatbots and human-centred AI applications used as part of service provision involving end with users – e.g., for support and information purposes.
- EDUCATION. Chatbots and human-centred AI used to support teaching, training, or administrative and social tasks in a learning environment.
- SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. Chatbots and AI applications for coding support. Opportunities and challenges.
- HEALTH AND THERAPY. Chatbots and human-centre AI applications for health advice, medical counselling, therapeutic programs, or physical training programs.
- MEDIA AND JOURNALISM. Chatbots and AI applications supporting news reporting and consumption. Use cases and critical discussions.
- CREATIVE INDUSTRIES. Chatbots and human-centred AI applications to engage consumers in creative industries services or events.
- ECOMMERCE AND MARKETING. Chatbots and human-centred AI applications supporting marketing for brands or brokering and sales of goods and services.

ORGANIZERS
The organising committee of CONVERSATIONS 2026 includes:

Asbjørn Følstad, SINTEF, Norway
Theo Araujo, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Sebastian Hobert, TH Lübeck – University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Symeon Papadopoulos, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Greece
Effie L.-C. Law, Durham University, UK
Ewa Luger, University of Edinburgh, UK
Petter Bae Brandtzaeg, University of Oslo and SINTEF, Norway