Getting Back Together: HCI and Human Factors Joining Forces to Meet the AI Interaction Challenge

The Human Factors Society and ACM SIGCHI jointly organized the first CHI conference in 1983, but during the remainder of the 1980s, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) increasingly diverged. The focus of HCI shifted from exploring systems for routinized activities of trained personnel, to a more general use of technology. HCI became predominantly design-oriented, concentrating on usability and user experience, moving further from HFE principles. However, the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications posed unique and urgent challenges that call for a reestablishment of the connection between the two disciplines. We argue that by working as a team, HCI and HFE could more effectively address AI-posed challenges. We invite HCI and HFE researchers to take part in a full-day interactive hybrid workshop. With this workshop, we aim to initiate a collaboration between HCI and HFE and set a clear plan forward for a more united future.