Welcome to the SIGCHI Finland Autumn seminar The future of our future technology that focuses on today’s children in relation to emerging technology. The seminar is held on Thursday 13.11. at 13:30-16:00 online via Zoom.

The seminar theme was chosen to coincide with the World Usability Day’s 2025 theme, “Emerging Technologies and Human Experience”. At SIGCHI Finland, we feel that the theme provides the perfect opportunity to engage in the 2025 topic through a perspective on transformations that incorporates the views of tomorrow’s technological users and leaders. We will hear from three invited speakers who shed light on their work in the realms of children and human-computer interaction. Their integral research probes the minds and worldviews of actors belonging to Gen Z and beyond (Gens Alpha and Beta) who have only known the Internet connected world. These are individuals to whom AI is not the future, but an inevitable present. We are extremely excited to hear predictions and experiences of our emerging techno-reality from the mouths of children, and thoughts of researchers.

The event is organized online and is open and free to everyone. Register for the event by Tuesday 11.11. Click this link to register!

Programme

13:30-13:40 Event opening
Laura Havinen, chair, SIGCHI Finland

13:40-14:00 Announcing the winner of SIGCHI Finland Thesis competition 2025 and Winner´s speech
Mikko Rajanen, thesis competition coordinator, SIGCHI Finland

14:00-14:30 Participatory AI with children around the world – What technology futures do children imagine?
Sumita Sharma, University of Oulu

14:30-14:45 Pause

14:45-15:15 Robostudio @Tampere University – experiences and reflections on the novel robotic co-learning activities
Aino Ahtinen, Tampere University

15:15-15:45 Where Did the Future Go? Unlearning and Technology Augmentability in Developing Graduate Skills
Kristóf Fenyvesi, University of Jyväskylä

15:45-16:00 Closing Words