UIST 2026 Workshop

The Personalized Computer for the 21st Century

What should computers do when they know us deeply and can act on what they know?

AI systems can increasingly learn about people, adapt tools and interfaces to individual needs, and act on their behalf. This workshop brings researchers and practitioners together to decide what personalized computing should become and what it must preserve.

Date: Monday, November 2, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM–12:15 PM
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: In person only

Paper ↗

About

Personal computers have rarely been truly personal.

For decades, personalization has largely meant settings, rankings, and recommendations. Modern AI introduces a more consequential possibility: systems that learn about people across contexts, generate bespoke tools and interfaces, and take meaningful action for them.

This makes an old vision newly plausible. It also forces us to ask what these systems should know, how they should be built, and where helpful personalization becomes unacceptable inference or intervention.

Program

Before workshop

Preparatory activities

Share an introduction slide and demo idea to find collaborators before the workshop.
9:00–9:10

Opening remarks and introduction

A brief introduction to the workshop goals and agenda.
9:10–9:40

Spotlight talks: Past and present visions

Three talks revisiting earlier personalized systems and emerging visions.
9:40–10:30

Debate: How does the “bitter lesson” apply to personal computing?

Debate whether general models or intentionally designed representations offer the best path forward.
10:30–11:00
Coffee break
11:00–12:15

Interactive activity: Prototyping provocative demos

Build quick prototypes in small teams and present them in a lightning round.

Participation

We welcome researchers and practitioners working on personalized and adaptive interfaces, user modeling, personal agents, proactive AI, generative interfaces, end-user programming, privacy, agency, and control.

You do not need to work explicitly on “personalization.” We especially welcome perspectives that challenge its assumptions, methods, or desirability.

Attendance is first come, first served. Apply on UIST registration ↗