Will AI Light Up Human Creativity or Replace It?

— Toward Well-Being AI for co-evolving human and machine intelligence —

Aims and new Challenges

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI)—especially large language models (LLMs), generative systems, and multi-agent collaborations—raises a fundamental question that lies at the heart of both science and philosophy:

Will AI light up human creativity or replace it?

This symposium continues the trajectory of last year’s Human-Compatible AI and AI-Powered Science, shifting the focus from alignment and control toward “Well-Being AI” which boosts the co-evolution of human and machine intelligence to maximize human potential by enhancing the complete physical, mental, and social flourishing of individuals and society, not just improving efficiency or eliminating errors. Rather than viewing AI as isolated systems, this year’s discussion approaches it as an intelligent network of “human–AI collaborative ecosystems,” where people and knowledge are gathered to enhance the creativity and productivity of human–AI society,  which cannot be achieved when they are dispersed. In order to realize this vision of Well-being AI, AI (referred to as “Well-being AI” in our symposium) is expected to play an important role in co-evolving human and machine intelligence to maximize human potential in human–AI society.

AI for Expanding Human Creativity

On the positive side, AI technologies are opening new pathways for progress by expanding the scope of human creativity and understanding. Generative and reasoning systems accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, enabling insights that transcend human cognitive limitations. In design, education, and healthcare, collaborative AI tools act as creative partners that enhance empathy, inclusion, and personal growth. These developments embody the potential of AI not to replace human creativity, but to amplify it—illuminating new forms of imagination, cooperation, and discovery that enrich both individual and collective well-being.

AI and the Risks of Replacement

On the risk side, however, the same technological advances that promise expansion also carry the danger of regression. As AI systems become more autonomous and opaque, humans may gradually yield reflection, diversity, and ethical responsibility to algorithmic efficiency. Overreliance on predictive models risks narrowing the horizons of creativity, fostering dependency, and cultural homogenization. As this dependency deepens, the nature of trust itself begins to change. Trusting imperfect AI is risky because errors are inevitable and often go unnoticed. Yet even a perfect AI can be dangerous — when people stop questioning its answers, they lose their own capacity to think and to choose the answer. The displacement of human intuition and moral judgment by automated reasoning could weaken not only trust in AI but also the human freedom to question, to judge, and to choose the output of AI. We risk losing not only our ability to think but also our freedom to choose, and we give it up not by force but by comfort. Addressing these risks requires ongoing attention to transparency, interpretability, and alignment with human value.

Integration: Toward Well-Being AI for co-evolving human and machine intelligence

The challenge ahead is not to reject technology but to reimagine progress. By integrating both the promise and peril of AI, this symposium envisions Well-Being AI by designing a co-evolutionary framework in which human and machine intelligences grow together through creative dialogue. From this perspective, AI functions not merely as a tool but as a mirror and ecosystem that reflects what it means to think, to imagine, and to care. Through interdisciplinary discussions, we seek guiding principles for a future in which human creativity is not replaced but renewed, where technological progress deepens our collective well-being and restores our capacity for wonder.

Symposium Perspectives

Building on the foundations established in last year’s symposium, Human-Compatible AI and AI-Powered Science, this year’s symposium clarifies how innovative forms of human–AI collaborative ecosystems can enhance individual and social well-being while safeguarding human value. The discussion will be guided by three core perspectives:

  1. Expanding Human Creativity – Generative and multi-agent AI for collaborative creativity; responsible design in education, healthcare, and the arts.
  2. Safeguarding Human from Machine Autonomy – Interpretability, bias mitigation, transparency, and ethical alignment for trust and accountability.
  3. Integration of human and machine intelligence toward Well-Being AI: Ecosystem approaches to multi-agent collaboration for sustainable creativity and social well-being.

Scope of Interests

We invite papers addressing, but not limited to, the following three thematic areas, reflecting the symposium’s perspectives on creativity, autonomy, and the co-evolution of human and machine intelligence toward Well-Being AI,building on the themes established in last year’s Human-Compatible AI and AI-Powered Science symposium:.

1. Expanding Human Creativity

  • Generative and multi-agent LLMs for collaborative creativity
  • Human–AI co-creation and creativity augmentation
  • Responsible AI design in education, healthcare, and the arts
  • Interpretable and inclusive AI for personal decision-making, reflection, and self-improvement
  • Evaluation methods for creativity and imagination in AI systems
  • AI-augmented creativity and personal growth contributing to self-fulfillment and individual flourishing
  • Practical applications of creative AI in design, learning, and human development
  • AI-powered science and discovery processes accelerating creativity and innovation
  • Personal genome, neuro-AI, and affective computing for understanding human uniqueness and creativity

2. Safeguarding Human from Machine Autonomy

  • Alignment and interpretability for trust and accountability
  • Fairness, transparency, and bias mitigation in LLM systems
  • Ethical and cultural implications of AI-driven automation
  • Human-centered governance and participatory design for AI
  • Misinformation, content diversity, and filter bubbles in generative and recommender systems
  • Societal transformations driven by AI — including job automation, workforce transitions, and equity
  • Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary studies on AI ethics, trust, and human values
  • AI governance, safety, and policy frameworks bridging technology, law, and human values
  • Embodied AI and robotics — ethical, social, and policy implications of autonomous systems
  • Policy and governance frameworks for responsible AI

3. Integration of human and machine intelligence toward Well-Being AI

  • Human–AI co-evolution and social well-being
  • Human–AI collaborative ecosystems for sustainable creativity
  • Interdisciplinary methods bridging technical, ethical, and philosophical inquiry
  • Philosophical and design foundations of Human-Compatible and Well-Being AI
  • Metrics, models, and methodologies for maximizing human potential and collective flourishing
  • Applied frameworks and evaluation methods for trustworthy and transparent Well-Being AI systems
  • Human–AI co-evolution in embodied, social, and digital ecosystems (robotics, metaverse, and digital twins)
  • Cross-domain applications integrating generative AI, personal data, and biological systems toward holistic well-being

Submissions that integrate technical innovations with philosophical, ethical, and societal insights are particularly encouraged. We also encourage researchers to submit proposals that delve into the practical applications and implications of human–AI collaborative ecosystems from the viewpoint of Well-Being AI, where human and machine intelligence co-evolve, examining their potential to foster creativity and well-being in various domains. By addressing the ethical considerations and societal impacts of these technologies, we can work toward ensuring that AI not only enhances individual well-being and autonomy but also contributes to social well-being in a fair, inclusive, and creative society.

Preliminary proposed schedule for the symposium (with keynote speakers if confirmed)

The symposium will feature invited talks, technical paper presentations, demonstrations, and discussion sections. Approximately 20–25 authors of the accepted papers will have 20 minutes presentations; two or three keynote speakers will have 70 minutes talks, and three or four guest speakers will have 45 minutes talks. We will have award sessions for the best papers and presentations with reviewers’ and participants’ votes on the 3rd day. Posters and demonstration sessions will be held in the middle of the symposium. The following is a tentative preliminary symposium schedule.

  • 1st day, April 7th
    • [Introduction] Welcome and Self-introduction
    • [Session 1] Will AI Light Up Human Creativity or Replace It? – Perspectives on Generative and Multi-Agent Collaboration
    • [Invited Talk 1]
    • [Invited Talk 2]
    • [Session 2] Expanding Human Creativity – From Individual Imagination to Collective Intelligence
    • [Reception]
  • 2nd day, April 8th
    • [Introduction] Wrap-up of the first day.
    • [Session 3]  Risks of Replacement – Autonomy, Alignment, and Ethical Reflection
    • [Invited Talk 3]
    • [Poster & Demonstration session]
    • [Session 4] Safeguarding Human from Machine Autonomy – Transparency and Interpretability in Practice
    • [Plenary Session]
  • 3rd day, April 9th
    • [Introduction] Wrap-up on the first and second days.
    • [Session 5] Integration of human and machine intelligence toward Well-Being AI – Human–AI
    •  Collaborative Ecosystems for Sustainable Creativity
    • [Symposium wrap-up] Award selection, summary of new insights, and questions.

Format

The symposium is organized by the invited talks, presentations, posters, a panel discussion, and interactive demos.

Submission Information

Interested participants may submit full papers (6-8 pages), short papers (2-4 pages), or extended abstracts (1-2 pages). Extended abstracts should state the intended presentation type (panel discussion, poster, or interactive demo). Accepted authors are encouraged, but not required, to present posters or interactive demonstrations in addition to oral presentations.
All submissions should be uploaded to AAAI’s EasyChair site at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sss26, and in addition, email your submissions to aaai-sss26@googlegroups.com by January 23rd, 2026. The format templates (Latex and Word) of the submitted paper is available here for the paper submission. Since we are planning to publish our proceedings from AAAI, please prepare the camera-ready paper based on the templates.

Important Dates

Submission deadline: January 23rd, 2026

Author notification: February 13th, 2026

Camera-ready paper: February 27th, 2026 (Note: No extension)

Registration deadline: February 27th, 2026

Symposium: April 7th-9th, 2026

Publication of online proceeding: TBA (We expect to publish it by October 31st, 2026).

Organizing Committee

  • Co-chairs

Takashi Kido (Teikyo University, Japan), Keiki Takadama (The University of Tokyo, Japan)

  • Program Committee

Hong Qin (Old Dominion University, U.S.AI,Amy Ding (Carnegie Mellon University, U.S.A), Melanie Swan (DIYgenomics, U.S.A.), Katarzyna Wac (Stanford University, U.S.A and University of Geneva, Switzerland), Ikuko Eguchi Yairi (Sophia Univ ersity, Japan), Fumiko Kano (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark), Takashi Maruyama (University of Occupational and Environmental Health), Chirag Patel (Harvard University, U.S.A), Rui Chen (Stanford University, U.S.A), Ryota Kanai (University of Sussex, UK.), Yoni Donner (Stanford, U.S.A), Yutaka Matsuo (University of Tokyo, Japan), Eiji Aramaki (Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan), Pamela Day (Stanford, U.S.A), Tomohiro Hoshi (Stanford, U.S.A), Miho Otake (Riken, Japan), Yotam Hineberg (Stanford, U.S.A), Yukiko Shiki (Kansai University, Japan), Yuichi Yoda (Ritsumeikan University, Japan), Robert Reynolds (Wayne State University, U.S.A), Dragutin Petkovic(San Francisco State University, U.S.A), Arisa Ema (The University of Tokyo, Japan), Toshiya Jitsuzumi (Chuo University, Japan), Fumiko Kudo (Osaka University, Japan)

  • Advisory Committee

Atul J. Butte (University of California San Francisco, U.S.A.), Seiji Nishino (Stanford University, U.S.A.), Katsunori Shimohara (Doshisha University, Japan), Takashi Maeno (Keio University, Japan), Robert Reynolds (Wayne State University, U.S.A)

Potential Participants

We plan to get 30-50 participants from past AAAI symposium participants and new interest groups. We expect interdisciplinary groups from artificial intelligence, computer science, human-computer interaction, psychology, neuroscience, proactive bio-citizens, collaborative healthcare communities, and quantified self-communities to share global interests in understanding and enhancing human health and cognition.

Contact Information

Takashi Kido

Email: kido.takashi@gmail.com

Institution: Teikyo University, Center for General Education, Professor