Author Archives: Wataru Akahori

Find Your IkiCHI through Japanese Cultural Experiences — Right at the CHI 2025 Venue

Zen Meditation • Japanese-Inspired Yoga • Japanese Tea Ceremony

At CHI 2025, we invite you not only to explore cutting-edge research but also to reconnect with what matters most — your well-being, presence, and sense of purpose. Inspired by this year’s theme of IkiCHI, we are offering three unique opportunities to experience authentic Japanese culture right at the conference venue.

🧘‍♀️ Zen Meditation (60 min, Mon/Tue)
Step into stillness with zazen, the traditional seated meditation practice of Zen Buddhism. Guided by a bilingual monk, this session offers more than just a quiet moment — it’s a chance to reflect, reset, and rediscover your center. No prior experience is needed. Available time slots are as follows:

28 (Mon) 11:00 – 12:00 / 30 people
28 (Mon) 13:30 – 14:30 / 30 people
28 (Mon) 15:00 – 16:00 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 9:30 – 10:30 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 11:00 – 12:00 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 13:30 – 14:30 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 15:00 – 16:00 / 30 people

🧘 Japanese-Inspired Yoga (60 min, Mon/Tue)
Rebalance your body and mind through gentle movements rooted in Japanese mindfulness practices. Open to all levels, this yoga session helps you breathe deeper, move with intention, and carry a sense of calm into the rest of your CHI experience. Available time slots are as follows:

28 (Mon) 11:00 – 12:00 / 30 people
28 (Mon) 13:30 – 14:30 / 30 people
28 (Mon) 15:00 – 16:00 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 9:30 – 10:30 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 11:00 – 12:00 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 13:30 – 14:30 / 30 people
29 (Tue) 15:00 – 16:00 / 30 people

🍵 Japanese Tea Ceremony (45 min, Wed)
Find beauty in simplicity. This tea ceremony invites you to slow down and immerse yourself in one of Japan’s most cherished traditions. Enjoy matcha and seasonal sweets while learning the graceful rituals that embody harmony, respect and zen spirit. Soko (Koji) Yatani guides you to Japanese aesthetics and hospitality. Available time slots are as follows:

30 (Wed) 09:30 – 10:15 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 10:15 – 11:00 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 11:00 – 11:45 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 11:45 – 12:30 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 13:45 – 14:30 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 14:30 – 15:15 / 40 people
30 (Wed) 15:15 – 16:00 / 40 people

In the spirit of Ikigai, these experiences offer a gentle pause — a way to reconnect with your inner purpose, engage with local culture, and bring fresh energy to the meaningful work we do together.

All activities take place at the CHI 2025 venue. Each session is $12. Space is limited — sign up early to reserve your spot via our registration system (CVENT).

https://cvent.me/g5mx2w

On-site sign-up and payment are not accepted, so please register in advance!

We are excited to have two inspiring keynote talks!

Opening Keynote

Mutale Nkonde – AI for the People, Computing for a Better World

In this keynote, Mutale Nkonde explores how Black Queer theory has shaped the vision and practice of AI for the People, a Black female-led nonprofit that operates at the intersection of technology, racial justice, and global policy. Drawing from her organization’s work advocating for ethical and inclusive AI on international platforms, Nkonde challenges dominant narratives in tech by centering social impact over technological innovation. She argues that when we begin with the question, “Who is affected, and how?”, rather than “What can this technology do?”, we open up possibilities for more just and human-centered AI systems.

Nkonde further unpacks how marginalized perspectives—particularly those informed by Black feminist and queer thought—offer critical tools for identifying and addressing bias, surveillance, and discrimination embedded in algorithmic systems. By examining real-world policy efforts and advocacy strategies, she invites participants to reflect on the ways bias can be actively countered through inclusive design practices, equitable data governance, and values-driven development processes.

This keynote calls on designers, educators, and researchers to consider how they might incorporate these critical perspectives into their own product teams, classrooms, and labs—not only to mitigate harm, but to reimagine AI as a tool for collective liberation.

 
Mutale Nkonde (she/her) is a policy advisor, researcher, and founder of AI for the People, a nonprofit organization that works at the intersection of technology, society, and justice. Her work focuses on identifying and reducing algorithmic bias in the design, deployment, and governance of AI systems—particularly those that shape public life.

Nkonde first gained national attention as the lead advocate for the Algorithmic Accountability Act, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2019, during her time as a fellow at Data & Society. Since then, she has led AI for the People in providing strategic advisory services to institutions such as the Biden-Harris White House, the United Nations, TikTok’s Content Moderation Advisory Board, and soon, the UK House of Commons. In 2025, her organization expanded into shareholder activism, using proxy votes to influence the ethical direction of major AI companies—securing an early victory in support of DEI policies at Apple.

Nkonde holds a BSc (Hons) in Sociology from Leeds Metropolitan University, a Master’s in American Studies from Columbia University, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Cambridge. She has held fellowships at Stanford, Notre Dame, and is currently a Visiting Policy Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute. Her work bridges policy, design, and emerging technologies, inviting interdisciplinary collaboration to build more inclusive and accountable AI systems.

Closing Keynote

Masako Wakamiya – Designing Beyond Age: Rethinking Inclusion and Interaction in a 100-Year Life

As societies shift toward unprecedented longevity, HCI faces a compelling challenge and opportunity: How do we design technologies that not only accommodate—but empower—users across all stages of life?

In this keynote, Masako Wakamiya shares her lived experience as a late-blooming technologist, digital artist, and active community contributor. Through her journey—from learning computing in her 60s to developing an app for older adults in her 80s—she invites HCI professionals to reconsider assumptions about aging, usability, and agency. Wakamiya reminds us that while aging may bring changes in cognitive and physical abilities, it also deepens emotional insight, strengthens interpersonal connections, and enriches one’s capacity to contribute meaningfully. She challenges the field to move beyond accessibility toward true participation, where older users are not just end-users but co-creators and storytellers. Her insights underscore the need for age-inclusive design practices that not only adapt to changing needs but also celebrate what endures and grows with age—curiosity, creativity, empathy, and community. This talk is both a critique and a call to action—for more empathetic, flexible, and empowering human-computer interaction that supports lifelong learning, connection, and contribution across the lifespan.

 
Masako Wakamiya is a pioneering digital creator and a passionate advocate for age-inclusive technology. Now 90 years old, she entered the digital world in her 60s, developed her first iPhone app at age 81 to serve older users, and continues to speak globally on intergenerational design and inclusive innovation. She is a board member of Mellow Club, a social network for seniors, and advises the Japanese government’s “Digital Garden City” initiative. Wakamiya’s creative use of Excel as an artistic medium and her app “Hinadan” have attracted international attention, including from Apple CEO Tim Cook and Taiwan’s Minister of Digital Affairs.

Here is some potentially useful information on when border agents can legally conduct searches of travelers’ electronic devices at international airports:
https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/can-border-agents-search-your-electronic

Thank you for your interest in attending the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’25). We are writing to inform you that registration is now nearing full capacity for our conference venue in Yokohama, Japan. In order to ensure the safety and comfort of all participants, we regretfully must pause registrations at this time. If you would still like to attend CHI’25 in person, you may join our waiting list.

Going forward, all attendees will be directed to register for the virtual conference with the option to join the in-person waitlist. During the virtual registration process, you will be asked if you would like to be considered for an in-person spot, should one become available. If a spot opens up, we will move you to in-person status and notify you via email. Please note that priority for these spots will be given to authors of accepted work. It is mandatory that at least one of the authors register for the conference either in-person or virtual registration.

We understand that this may come as disappointing news, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding. Due to safety regulations, we are unable to exceed the venue’s maximum capacity. Thank you again for your enthusiasm for CHI’25. We hope to welcome as many of you as possible and will keep you updated regarding any changes in availability.

Warm regards,
Naomi Yamashita and Vanessa Evers (General Chairs CHI’25)

Authors: Daniel Vogel & Luigina Ciolfi, CHI 2025 Awards Chairs

The CHI 2025 papers program will feature 50 Best Paper Award winners and 201 Honorable Mentions. The total number of awards is 5% of all 5,014 completed submissions, with 1% reserved for Best Paper Awards.

The process began with the formation of an Awards Committee shortly after the PC meeting in January 2025. Two volunteer ACs from each Subcommittee (as split in A and B if applicable) were sought to join the Awards Committee.

The Awards Chairs received a list of all accepted papers, including: award nominations from ACs who reviewed the paper; Originality, Quality, and Significance scores for round 1 and round 2; and Decision Recommendations for round 1 and round 2. Within each Subcommittee, the papers were sorted using those criteria in that order.

Each Subcommittee was allocated a target number of Best Paper Awards and Honorable Mention Awards proportional to the number of papers handled by that Subcommittee during the review process. Shortlists were generated for each Subcommittee such that they included all papers nominated by ACs who reviewed the paper and such that the number of papers was at least 150% of the target number of awards.

The Awards ACs in each Subcommittee were tasked to review their shortlist and recommend papers for Best Paper, Honorable Mention, or a “Possible Best Paper”. They had access to the data described above in addition to all reviews from round 1 and round 2 and the paper PDF from round 2. They were instructed to respect the target number of awards allocated to their Subcommittee when making recommendations. Awards ACs could work independently or jointly to generate these recommendations. In the case of a conflict of interest with one or more of the shortlisted papers, only Awards ACs who were not conflicted submitted recommendations for those papers.

Once all Subcommittee rankings were completed, the Awards Chairs reviewed them. All recommendations that both Awards ACs agreed on were confirmed within the number of awards allocated to the Subcommittee. When the Awards ACs disagreed or when they had conflicts of interest, the Awards Chairs made a decision considering each Awards AC’s separate recommendations and their provided comments, as well as all the shortlist data and order. A final list of papers with a “Possible Best Paper” recommendation were awarded either a Best Paper or Honourable Mention when ranked across all Subcommittees using the same sort order as the shortlists.

The result is 251 awards that represent exceptional work throughout all CHI Subcommittees.
The full list of Best Papers and Honorable Mentions can be found at: https://programs.sigchi.org/chi/2025/awards/

Congratulations to all winning Authors!