ADM+S Research Fellow presents participatory AI design at leading Human-Computer Interaction Conference
Author
Date 15 July 2025
Dr Awais Hameed Khan, Research Fellow at the University of Queensland node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S), recently presented his work at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (CHI 2025) in Yokohama, Japan.
A part of the conference program, Awais presented his research at invitation-only workshop sessions, Emerging Practices in Participatory AI Design in Public Sector Innovation, and Access InContext: Futuring Accessible Prototyping Tools and Methods to a cohort of leading academics, industry practitioners, and global thought leaders, working on participatory design for AI.
At these workshops, Awais showcased key outcomes from the Critical Capabilities for Inclusive AI Signature project, including:
- developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Queensland and Central Queensland University, the Trauma-Informed AI Assessment Toolkit;
- research on the wicked problem of AI policy design, developed in collaboration with industry partners Google and Canva; and
- a creative method using unfinished comics to explore AI futures, developed collaboration in partnership with ADM+S partners at NYU, and collaborators from the University of Toronto and the World Bank.
In the main conference program, Awais presented his paper titled Household Wattch: Exploring Opportunities for Surveillance and Consent through Families’ Household Energy Use Data. The presentation introduced the Bootleg Design Cards Toolkit — previously featured in the ADM+S In conversation podcast episode ‘Watt’s Up With Privacy? Energy Data and Household Surveillance’.
In addition to these presentations, Awais used the opportunity to network with industry practitioners and global academics, sharing ongoing work at the ADM+S. He was able to meet up with both existing collaborators and colleagues, as well as expand his network and explore new collaboration possibilities.
“What really stood out throughout the conference was the overall interest in exploring genuine and meaningful participatory and collaborative design tools, methods, and approaches to design better AI systems,” said Awais
Since his return, Awais has been exploring avenues to expand the global reach and impact of the work being done at the ADM+S, already working on conducting a next step of research with a collaborator he caught up with at the conference. Awais was taken by the overall Japanese culture, and how they approach technology design by centring humans.
This research visit was supported by funding from the ADM+S ECR Support Scheme and the ADM+S node at University of Queensland.
