Shaping the Future of Interactive Search: Institute WeST co-chaired CHIIR 2024 conference in Sheffield

As the conference approaches the end of its first decade, CHIIR has firmly established itself as a vibrant interdisciplinary community, bringing together researchers working at the intersection of information retrieval, human-computer interaction, and information behaviour. The conference focuses on understanding how people search for, interact with, and make sense of information in a variety of digital environments, from search engines and digital libraries to recommender systems and AI-powered assistants.

Understanding these interactions is more important than ever. In an age of rapidly growing information and increasingly sophisticated AI tools, CHIIR provides a forum to explore how technology can better support people in finding, interpreting, and using information responsibly and effectively. The research presented at CHIIR helps improve search systems, digital assistants, and information services, ensuring they are user-centered, interpretable, and socially responsible.

The conference created a lively and engaging environment. Attendees were able to follow the program across time zones and take part in discussions, workshops, tutorials, and special sessions, including a timely session on the impacts of Generative AI on Interactive IR.

This year’s program offered a rich mix of contributions: 27 full and perspectives papers, 8 short papers, 6 demos, 3 resource papers, and 6 doctoral consortium papers. Beyond the main conference, four tutorials and three workshops provided deep dives into trending research topics. The high number of submissions across all tracks led to some very difficult decisions, highlighting both the maturity of CHIIR and the value it continues to offer to the global research community.

The conference was not only a venue for sharing cutting-edge research but also an opportunity to meet colleagues and friends and to foster connections that will carry forward into future collaborations.

Hosting CHIIR in Sheffield, a city with a rich industrial heritage and a long reputation as a hub forinformation retrieval research, added a special atmosphere to the event. For the organizers, it was a privilege to contribute to a conference that continues to shape the future of interactive information retrieval and human-centered information technology.

CHIIR 2024 once again demonstrated the strength and vibrancy of this global research community, uniting diverse perspectives, innovative methods, and shared curiosity about how humans interact with information, research that ultimately shapes the way people access, understand, and use knowledge in the digital world.