Registration is required for participation, whether you are in person or remote! Register Today!

Registration Information: https://aaai.getregistered.net/2025-spring-symposium

Foundation models, such as large language models (LLMs), vision language models (VLMs), and speech foundation models, can enable more effective, natural, and engaging child-AI interactions. Both academic researchers and industry practitioners are increasingly interested in leveraging these models to provide accessible, personalized support for children in areas such as education, entertainment, health, and well-being. However, the opportunities presented by foundation models are accompanied by significant risks and ethical concerns, especially in the context of child-AI interactions. Notable concerns include privacy, bias, and the potential of exposure to harmful and illegal content.

Interdisciplinary discussions on this topic are crucial, timely, and needed to guide future research toward more effective and responsible child-centered AI. Our goal for this symposium is to facilitate communication, the exchange of expertise and experiences, and the formation of connections among experts in AI, interaction design, and application domains, all of whom are passionate about a safe and fulfilling future of child-centered AI systems. The symposium will focus on participatory research methods that include children so they can provide direct input regarding their needs and preferences, thereby giving them more agency in the design of child-AI interaction. We aim to stimulate discussions that can help human-centered AI researchers to leverage the latest techniques from machine learning so as to generate novel and meaningful interactions that are child-centered and align with children's rights. 

The proposed symposium aims to bring together presenters and participants from relevant fields including, but not limited to, human-robot interaction (HRI), human-computer interaction (HCI), natural language processing (NLP), spoken language understanding (SLU), machine learning (ML), education, and pediatric healthcare. The symposium aims to offer a unique opportunity for researchers across these disciplines to foster mutual understanding and facilitate collaborations, paving the way for future advancements in child-AI interaction.

Submission Requirements 

All paper submissions will be reviewed through a rigorous single-blind process by the programs committee. We are soliciting two kinds of contributions:

* Poster/short/position papers: Recommended 2 pages and Maximum 4 pages excluding references.

* Full papers: Maximum 8 pages excluding references. 

Submission Website

We will use the official AAAI EasyChair site for our paper submissions. You can access that site here: 

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sss25 

Be sure to select the "Symposium on Child-AI Interaction in the Era of Foundation Models" Track.

Submission Deadlines

All deadlines are 11:59pm In Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time zone.

For archival papers that are going to be included in the official AAAI Symposium Proceedings:

* Submission deadline: January 17

* Notification of acceptance or rejection: January 24

* Camera-ready paper deadline: February 1

For non-archival papers:

* Submission deadline: February 1

* Notification of acceptance or rejection: February 10

* Camera-ready paper deadline: February 17

All submissions must be accompanied by at least one registered participant for in-person presentation. See registration deadlines and fees below:

Keynote Speakers

(In no particular order)

**On the job market for a faculty opening!

*On the job market for a post-doc! :)