Call for Papers:
Mental Models of AI
Workshop on Mental Models in Human-AI Interaction: Methods and Challenges in the Generative and Agentic AI Era
Co-located with ACM IUI 2027, Annual ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces
February 8, 2027
Helsinki, Finland
MM/AI Workshop: https://mentalmodelsofai.com/
ACM IUI: https://iui.acm.org/2027/
Deadline for submission of papers: November 9, 2026
The mental model construct is widely used in HCI to refer to the knowledge structure people hold to reason about computing systems. Yet the construct is often used interchangeably with related concepts (e.g. folk theories, sensemaking) and methods of studying it are many and diverse. Generative and agentic AI systems further complicate mental model formation and elicitation as such systems are opaque by design and increasingly act on users’ behalf across files, applications, and on the web. Together, these challenges may hinder the commensurability of research on people’s mental models of AI systems. The MM/AI workshop calls for a critical reassessment of how we understand and study mental models in human-AI interaction research. It aims to foster theoretical and methodological exchange on mental models in human–AI interaction, identify open challenges, and develop directions for future research.
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How should we understand and study people’s mental models of AI?
We invite researchers and practitioners to the inaugural Mental Models of AI (MM/AI) workshop, held on 8 February 2027 at ACM IUI 2027 in Helsinki, Finland.
We welcome theoretical, empirical, methodological, and conceptual contributions on mental models in human–AI interaction. We are particularly interested in empirical work that critically reflects on how mental models are conceptualized and elicited, and on the assumptions and limitations of the methods used to study them.
PAGE LIMIT – 4 pages, excluding references.
References do not count toward the limit.
TEMPLATE – Latest ACM two-column template, anonymized template ↗
Strip author names, affiliations, and acknowledgements before submitting.
REVIEW – Each paper will receive two double-blind peer reviews on OpenReview
Reviews prioritize relevance to the workshop themes, methodological and theoretical insight, and potential to stimulate discussion. Submissions may build on previously published work, provided they are identified as such in the final, deanonymized version and the submission offers new reflection on the mental model construct, its elicitation, or the implications of the original findings.
SUBMISSION PORTAL
REMOTE PARTICIPATION – Possible on an exceptional basis, upon request
Remote participants must register for the conference and pay the applicable registration fee, just like in-person attendees. They are expected to attend the entire workshop, including presenting their work and actively participating in the group activities; an online group will be organized for them.
LENGTH
Half-day (3.5 hours), in person at IUI ’27.
CAPACITY
25–30 participants: authors of accepted submissions, co-organizers, and attendees admitted through open registration.
ORGANIZERS & PROGRAM COMMITTEE
The organizing team combines first-hand research experience about mental models in human-AI interaction and a strong motivation to reopen discussions within the IUI community.
- Téo Sanchez, MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow, LMU Munich MI³ [Main contact]
- Bhada Yun, PhD Student, ETH Zürich
- Prerna Ravi, PhD Student, MIT CSAIL
- Laura Schütz, PhD Candidate, TUM
- Anna Neumann, PhD Candidate, University Duisburg-Essen · RC Trust
- Robin Chan, PhD Candidate, ETH Zürich
- April Yi Wang, Assistant Professor, ETH Zürich · PEACH Lab
- Qiaosi (Chelsea) Wang, Carnegie Bosch Postdoctoral Fellow, CMU HCII
- Sumit Asthana, Senior Applied Scientist, Microsoft
QUESTIONS
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