The ACI International Conference is the leading venue in the rapidly expanding field of Animal-Computer Interaction. Initially held as a one-day affiliated event, the conference has, since 2016, become a three- or four-day independent event and has been attracting a growing number of participants and contributors from diverse backgrounds, to explore all forms of animals' interaction with or exposure to computing systems and all aspects of animal-centered computing.​

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ACI 2026 is in-cooperation with ACM/SIGCHI:

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​​​​Core aims for the discipline include: studying and theorizing any form of interaction between animals and technology; designing technology that improves animals' well-being, supports animals' activities and fosters intra- and inter-species relations; developing methodologies that enable animals to participate in the design process as legitimate stakeholders and contributors. Overall, the shared ambition of ACI researchers and practitioners is the development of more inclusive societies and more sustainable forms of technologically supported living.

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To address the theoretical, methodological, empirical, and ethical challenges encountered in the pursuit of animal-centered design and computing, ACI brings together researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines in biology (e.g. ecology, animal ergonomics, cognition, behavior, veterinary and welfare science), technology (e.g. engineering, computer science, informatics, interaction design, design) and humanities (e.g. geography, anthropology, ethnography, sociology, philosophy), making ACI a fundamentally transdisciplinary field. Consistent with its transdisciplinarity, the field can benefit from philosophical and theoretical analyses, system developments and deployments, methodological and design frameworks, empirical studies of different kinds, and more. Diverse contributions with a focus on animal-centered interactions involving technology are valuable and encouraged.

 

In an increasingly networked world, (nonhuman and human) animals are increasingly entangled in webs of interactions that affect them in different, more or less obvious ways, whether positively or negatively. So, the notion of interaction has to be understood in the broadest possible sense, whether interactions are direct or indirect, dyadic or distributed, passive or active, cognitive or physical, co-located or remote, synchronous or asynchronous.

 

Shedding light on these entanglements, understanding the influence of computing technologies on animals and ensuring that technology is developed and used for animals’ benefit is what ACI is all about. Thus, the aim of the ACI Conference is to provide a venue and a regular opportunity for the cross-fertilization that is essential to addressing the challenges faced by ACI as a discipline.

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We warmly invite you to join us to help us break new ground and make a difference in this challenging, exciting and innovative field.