Why human-centred computing is the key to navigating the AI era
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape how we work, communicate, and make decisions, one question is becoming increasingly urgent: who ensures that technology works for people? ITU's Head of Research, Morten Hjelholt, talks AI, human-computer-interaction, and future demands.
Morten HjelholtAbout ITUResearchartificial intelligence
Written 8 June, 2026 07:24 by Theis Duelund Jensen
At ITU, the answer lies in human-centred computing – and recent results at the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems underline just how strong that position has become. With eight full papers, five late-breaking works, and two workshops accepted, ITU was among the most visible institutions at this year’s conference. One paper was awarded an Honourable Mention, placing it in the top five per cent of submissions.
For Head of Research Morten Hjelholt, this is more than a strong showing at a prestigious conference. It is evidence of a research environment that is not only excelling academically but is also positioning itself at the heart of some of the most important challenges of the AI era.
“It’s important not only to communicate individual results,” he says. “But to highlight strong research environments. And HCI at ITU is clearly one of those.”
The HCI approach
Human-computer interaction (HCI) is fundamentally about understanding how people engage with technology – not in theory, but in practice. At ITU, this work spans a wide range of approaches, from psychological studies of behaviour to experimental design and large-scale, data-driven analyses of digital interaction.
“They study the interaction between people and systems,” Morten Hjelholt explains. “That is the common denominator.”
What makes this particularly important in the context of AI is that no matter how advanced technologies become, they remain dependent on human use, interpretation, and context.
“No matter how advanced the technology is, it still has to work for people,” he says. “If it doesn’t fit human needs and practices, it has no value.”
This perspective is deeply embedded in the HCI community at ITU. Rooted in a Scandinavian design tradition, the field is not only concerned with analysing the effects of technology, but with actively shaping it. Researchers combine critical insight with a strong drive to design, prototype, and test new solutions – often exploring future scenarios and alternative technological paths.
“There’s both a critical perspective and an innovative one,” Hjelholt notes. “The research doesn’t stop at analysing systems – it also seeks to create and test new ideas. When human interaction becomes digital, the methods for studying it have to evolve as well,” Morten Hjelholt says.
Interdisciplinarity at the centre
This methodological flexibility is one of the reasons why the field has grown so strongly at ITU. It is also closely tied to the university’s interdisciplinary profile. Positioned between computer science, design, and social sciences, HCI brings together technical expertise, theoretical insight, and practical application in a way that few other fields do.
“HCI brings together the technical, the theoretical, and the practical,” Morten Hjelholt explains. “Many people come to ITU because they want to work in that space.”
HCI-projects at ITU explore topics ranging from bodily interaction and emotional experience to digital democracy, health technologies, and everyday practices on digital platforms. Despite their diversity, they share a common ambition: not only to understand technology, but to shape its role in society.
“They create things that people can use,” says Morten Hjelholt. “Not necessarily products in a commercial sense, but contributions that have value for society.”
In the context of AI, this kind of work becomes even more critical. As systems grow more complex and autonomous, the risk is not only that they fail technically, but that they fail socially – by not fitting human needs, practices, or values.
“Whatever the technology is,” says Morten Hjelholt, “it still comes down to the interaction between humans and systems.”
The strong presence at CHI is therefore not just a matter of academic recognition. It signals that ITU has built a research environment capable of engaging with some of the most pressing questions of our time – at the intersection of technology, people, and society.
“It brings together many different creative perspectives,” says Morten Hjelholt. “And that’s a big part of why it’s so successful.”
As AI continues to evolve, so too will the need for research that can bridge the gap between technological possibility and human reality. At ITU, it is already a clear area of strength.
Theis Duelund Jensen, Press Officer, phone +45 2555 0447, email thej@itu.dk