ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)

The Augmented Humans (AHs) International Conference 2025, which is taking place this week from March 16-20, hosted by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), gives participants the opportunity to discover the latest physical, cognitive and perceptual augmentations of humans through digital technologies.

The conference is held in cooperation with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), convening more than 100 leading global researchers, technologists, and industry pioneers to explore groundbreaking advancements in human augmentation technologies.

It is the first time the five-day conference is being held in the Middle East, underscoring the importance of the university’s Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Department launched last year, and its ability to attract world-class research scholars to the region, in service of advancing the UAE’s innovation ambition.

Thirty papers were selected to be presented from a record-breaking 77 submissions.

The event also features 20 posters, two workshops, and seven live demonstrations, highlighting innovations in brain-machine interfaces, wearable computing, exoskeletons, and augmented reality, with applications spanning healthcare, sports, security, and beyond.

The plural – humans – emphasises the move towards technologies that enhance human capabilities beyond the individual with the potential for impact at a societal scale across performance, health, and quality of life.

Professor and Department Chair of Human-Computer Interaction at MBZUAI and keynote speaker at AHs 2025, Professor Elizabeth Churchill, said, “The idea of augmenting human intellect and physical abilities has a long tradition. We have long-designed tools and technologies that extend our capabilities, expand our capacities, and amplify what we are capable of as humans. Now, augmentation in this new AI era isn't just about simple tools, about computer screens and about things on your body–it's about adaptive things in our bodies and in our physical and digital environments, it’s about us amplifying what is possible with advanced “intelligent” tools that can adapt to us and learn with us."

The conference welcomes esteemed researchers and professionals from top institutions and organisations such as The University of Sydney, MIT Media Lab, The University of Tokyo, and DFKI German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.

Experts will examine advancements in bionic systems, brain-machine interfaces, digital health, and tele-manipulation while addressing the ethical, security, and privacy implications of augmented human technology.

Sessions will explore how AI-driven augmentation transforms medicine, sports, and rehabilitation, enhances human capabilities, and redefines interactions with digital systems.

General Co-Chair of AHs 2025 and Postdoctoral Researcher at Bundeswehr University Munich, Dr. Yomna Abdelrahman, emphasised the impact of the event, saying, “With the high number of paper submissions in the history of AHs, this edition has set a new benchmark for innovation and research in human augmentation. From brain-machine interfaces to wearable computing and AI-driven rehabilitation, the depth and breadth of topics covered by world-class experts reflect the growing impact of human augmentation technologies on society.”