Solan university hosts International meet on human-computer interaction

A two-day international conference on human-computer interaction and cognitive computing (HCICC-2025) organised by Shoolini University, in collaboration with IIT-Mandi and iCreate, Gujarat, was inaugurated on Wednesday at the university.

Key partners for the conference included the ACM Student Chapter of the university and the CSLC Science Museum, Shimla.

The conference — supported financially by Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), a subsidiary of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India, and NIELIT Shimla — served as a platform for global experts, academicians, researchers and industry professionals to discuss advancements in human-computer interaction (HCI) and artificial intelligence (AI).

Prof Rihani, in his welcome address, said the primary objective of the conference was to bring together academicians, researchers, students and industry professionals to disseminate original research, practical developments experience, showcase their start-up ideas in the domain of human computer interaction and related sub-domains, with research paper/poster presentation. In his address, chancellor PK Khosla talked about the evolution of technology from typewriters to modern computer science.

He urged participants to lead the next phase of AI innovation with governance and ethical practices.

Chitkara University professor of practice Daman Dev Sood, as the chief guest at the event, highlighted the need for resilience, sustainability and ethics in technology.

“All research should prioritise humanity. Resilience and sustainability must go hand in hand,” he said.

Dr Samiya Khan from University of Greenwich, UK, inspired the audience with her views on curiosity and innovation. “Ethics must remain central to technology development. The Indian ethos of integrity and respect can serve as a guiding principle for a sustainable AI future,” she said.

The role of AI in food and water systems was delved into by Dr Lynn Robert Carter, an expert with 45 years of experience in software engineering.

NIT-Hamirpur Assistant Professor Arun Kumar talked about the need for more faculty development programmes and seminars to promote interdisciplinary learning.

Director (Innovations and Learning) Ashish Khosla encouraged youngsters to harness the accelerating advancements in AI responsibly, stating, “You are the future custodians of technology. Govern it wisely.”