<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> </head> <body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"> <div style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The 1st International Workshop on Design Fiction for Human-Agent Interaction and Mental Health</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">@ HAI 2025, Yokohama, Japan *** 10th November 2025<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><u><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ivafuture/home" title="https://sites.google.com/view/ivafuture/home" style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);"><span style="color: rgb(150, 96, 125);">https://sites.google.com/view/futurewellbeing/home</span></a></span></u></span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The 1st International Workshop on Design Fiction for Human-Agent Interaction and Mental Health will explore the potential implementations of human-agent interaction and mental health, with a specific focus on virtual companions. To achieve this, we will be using design fiction to anticipate individual, societal, ethical, and cultural implications. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">This workshop explores the role of virtual companions in mental health contexts through the lens of design fiction. Advances in generative AI and large language models have accelerated the development and adoption of virtual companions—agents that can form relationships with users. While these systems present opportunities for support and wellbeing, they also raise critical concerns around<span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span>privacy, data use, emotional vulnerability, and cultural stereotypes.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The aim of this workshop is to critically examine these issues and collaboratively explore speculative futures of virtual companions in mental health. Using design fiction methods (including speculative scenarios, artifacts, and sci-fi prototyping) participants will investigate the societal, ethical, and cultural implications of human-agent interaction in this sensitive domain.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">We welcome submissions from a broad range of disciplines such as engineering, computer science, psychology, sociology, cognitive science, and design. Topics include, but are not limited to: <o:p></o:p></span></div> <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> <li class="li1" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Exploration of how virtual companions can affect users' mental health<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="li1" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The design of virtual companions (both avatar design and behavioral design) and how this affects user trust<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="li1" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">The risks of reinforcing stereotypes, especially gender stereotypes<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="li1" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Ethical concerns regarding the use of virtual companions for mental health purposes <o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">IMPORTANT DATES - Workshop Papers (2-4 pages)</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">10th October 2025: Paper Submissions<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">17th October 2025: Notifications<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">SUBMISSIONS: </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><a href="https://sites.google.com/view/ivafuture/home" title="https://sites.google.com/view/ivafuture/home" style="color: rgb(70, 120, 134);"><span class="s1"><span style="color: blue;">https://sites.google.com/view/futurewellbeing/home</span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">ORGANIZERS</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Negin Hashmati, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Therése Skoog, University of Gothenburg, Sweden<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Mohammad Obaid, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Thommy Eriksson, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden</span></div> <div style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; font-family: Aptos, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><br> </span></div> <div style="margin: 0in;"><font face="Helvetica Neue" size="2"><br> </font></div> <div style="margin: 0in;"><font face="Helvetica Neue" size="2">Best Regards, </font></div> <div style="margin: 0in;"><font face="Helvetica Neue" size="2"><br> </font></div> <div> <div>Mohammad Obaid<br> Associate Professor of HCI<br> Department of Computer Science and Engineering<br> Chalmers University of Technology<br> Gothenburg, Sweden</div> </div> <br> </div> </body> </html>