During the fall 2025 semester, the University of Michigan community gathered at Rackham Amphitheatre for the University of Michigan Symposium on Human-Centered AI, a full-day event focused on designing artificial intelligence that augments and amplifies human capabilities. Co-sponsored by the School of Information and the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society, the symposium brought together researchers, students, industry leaders, and members of the public to examine how AI can be developed in alignment with human values and societal needs.
MIDAS played a key role in advancing this conversation across campus. Acting Director Bradford Orr opened the symposium by framing human-centered AI as a university-wide priority, and MIDAS Executive Director Jing Liu moderated the closing panel on the future of human-centered AI research.
Throughout the day, speakers from the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University, the Allen Institute for AI, and Hugging Face highlighted interdisciplinary approaches to AI ethics, scientific discovery, and human-AI collaboration.
“The Human-Centered AI Symposium reflects the role MIDAS plays in bringing together scholars, students, and partners from across the University of Michigan to tackle the most pressing questions about AI and society,” said Jing Liu, executive director of the Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society. “By creating spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration and critical dialogue, MIDAS helps ensure that advances in AI are not only technically innovative, but also grounded in human values and real-world impact.”
By participating in institution-wide initiatives like the HCAI symposium, MIDAS continues to create shared spaces for critical dialogue at the intersection of data, AI, and society, reinforcing the institute’s mission to ensure AI research at U-M is both innovative and socially responsible.
Read the full event recap to learn more about the speakers, discussions, and the symposium’s impact.
Co-Host
Photo: U-M School of Information