CHIWORK 2026 Workshop · Half-day · In Person
What are futures for computing work in the age of AI? How can middle-skilled workers be included in this future?
Professional computing work is no longer limited to traditional roles requiring computer science degrees. HCI has long treated computing tasks in roles like administrative assistant or operations specialist as end-user programming. With LLMs and enterprise low-code/no-code tools, many of these roles center now center on building and maintaining computational systems. These are middle-skill jobs crucial to financial security for adults without college degrees, and a clear concept of them is needed to shape and support the future of these occupations and the people in them as AI transforms the workforce.
Submission Deadline
May 10, 2026
Notification
May 18, 2026
Workshop Date
June 22, 2026
Modality
In-Person
In this in-person, half-day workshop, we will articulate the research space for broader conceptions of computing work and its workforce through a participatory design exercise and community building. We invite interested participants from any background to submit a 250 to 500-word response to one or more of the following prompts, and to share any related materials that express their interest in the topic:
Teams for the design exercise will be determined in advance based on themes in the submissions. We welcome perspectives from both industry and academia. Topics include but are not limited to: middle-skill computing labor, low-code/no-code platforms, community-based workforce programs, and the evolving boundary between end-user and professional computing.
How to Submit: Please email your submissions to computingpathways@groups.gatech.edu with the subject "CHIWORK Workshop Participant Submission".
CHIWORK registration is required to attend the workshop. This workshop will be held in person only, and attendance will be capped at 25 people. The workshop will be half-day at the conference venue, with specific timing and location TBD.
If you have accessibility needs or require accommodations — including mobility, sensory, or other requirements — please get in touch as early as possible, and we will coordinate with the conference organizers to accommodate: computingpathways@groups.gatech.edu
We plan to share the outcomes of our workshop through the following formats:
Additionally, with permission, we will make the contact information of participants available to each other to facilitate follow up conversation.
The workshop will consist of a poster session and networking event, where posters are created in groups through a participatory design exercise. First, we will introduce the research space through a keynote presentation. Participants will split into pre-determined groups to develop a poster, followed by a short poster session to see each others' work. Each group will re-assemble to review feedback and create 1-2 slides for a final presentation to the group. The workshop will conclude by developing a set of next steps related to the workshop themes.
Keynote (Organizers)
Establish themes, goals, and motivation.
Participatory Design Exercise (Theme Groups)
Generate ideas through PD exercises.
Dot-Ranking & Break (Pairs)
Prioritize ideas for further discussion.
Next Step Presentation (Theme Groups)
Create 1–2 slides communicating next steps.
Presentations & Feedback (All)
Each theme group presents next steps.
This workshop is a collaboration between scholars and practitioners from Georgia Tech and the University of Michigan who work on, and in, middle-skill computing workforce development programs, DataWorks and Community Tech Workers respectively. Two of us currently work in (and are searching for) middle-skill computing roles following the DataWorks program. Our combined perspectives enable us to holistically investigate this topic, aligning scholarly perspectives with on-the-ground concerns.