We are pleased to share that Prof. Stephen Jia Wang and his team presented two new studies on AI for creativity and emotion-aware companion design at ACM CHI 2026, one of the world’s leading conferences on human-computer interaction.
The first full paper, authored by Jiajuan Li and the team titled “AI for Creativity: A GenAI-Based Approach for Early Concept Design and Its Impact on Senior Architects”, explores how generative AI supports early-stage concept design in architectural practice. Focusing on senior architects, the study examines how GenAI tools shape ideation workflows, influence design decisions, and change perceptions of creative authorship.
The second contribution, a late-breaking work authored by Le Fang and the team, titled “EmoFriends: A Modular Toolkit for Prototyping Customizable Emotion-Aware Companions”, introduces a modular toolkit that turns everyday plush toys into emotion-aware companions using embedded sensing and affective computing. EmoFriends lowers the barrier for designers and researchers to prototype tangible, emotion-aware interactions for wellbeing, play and experiential design.
