Provocations at CUI 2026 are original and unpublished contributions that propose ideas with the potential to disrupt and expand how we think about conversation and design.
Provocations aim to unsettle comfortable paradigms and inspire reflection. A provocation might question an established view, reveal a tension in the field, or suggest a new way of interpreting familiar terrain. They may take the form of conceptual essays, speculative pieces, design fictions, or critical commentaries that challenge, complicate, or expand how we understand conversational user interfaces and their role in society. We particularly welcome ideas that push boundaries and reimagine the assumptions that guide this community.
The 2026 conference theme—“Conversational AI: Agency and Identities!”—invites reflection on how conversational systems act, speak, and embody character. It raises questions about agency, authorship, and persona: Who is really speaking? What identity is being represented or performed? How do agents negotiate power, bias, and expression through language? These ideas offer fertile ground for provocation, connecting design, linguistics, and ethics in new ways. Yet, this theme is only one thread of inspiration. Provocations on other topics are equally welcome, including those that open new directions, revisit familiar questions, or surface ambiguities in the broader landscape of conversational interaction.
What matters most is the ability to provoke: to spark debate, invite fresh perspectives, and open space for new conversations about voice, language, and interaction.
Here are a few examples of previous provocation papers from the CUI community:
- You Today, Better Tomorrow: Envisioning the Role of Conversation in Recommender Systems of the Future
Authors: Manveer Kalirai, Anastasia Kuzminykh - Speculating About Multi-user Conversational Interfaces and LLMs: What If Chatting Wasn’t So Lonely?
Authors: William Seymour, Emilee Rader - Our Dialogue System Sucks – but Luckily we are at the Top of the Leaderboard!: A Discussion on Current Practices in NLP Evaluation
Authors: Anouck Braggaar, Linwei He, Jan De Wit - Fake Friends and Sponsored Ads: The Risks of Advertising in Conversational Search
Author: Jacob Erickson - Crossing the Line? The Paradox of Human-Like Design in Conversational Agents
Authors: Nima Zargham, Vino Avanesi, Laura Spillner, Johanna Rockstroh - Aye, Robot: What Happens When Robots Speak Like Real People?
Authors: Mary Ellen Foster, Jane Stuart-Smith, Muneeb I. Ahmad, Julian Hough
These examples reflect the diversity of approaches within the track, ranging from conceptual essays to critical analyses of design practice. Additional examples of successful provocation papers can be found in the ACM Digital Library.
Non-provocative work should not be submitted here, but to the Short Papers or Works-in-Progress tracks.
Important Dates
| Deadline type | Date |
|---|---|
| Submission | Thu, April 9 2026 |
| Acceptance Notice | Thu, May 7 2026 |
| Camera-Ready in PCS | Thu, May 21 2026 |
| eRights completed | Thu, May 28 2026 |
| TAPS processing completed | Thu, June 4 2026 |
The Process
All submissions will follow the process outlined below.
1. Prepare your paper
Submissions must be in English, in PDF format, and anonymised following the CHI anonymisation policy. Papers should be approximately 3,000–3,500 words, including figures, tables, and appendices (excluding references and acknowledgments).
Please use the official ACM LaTeX or Word templates for preparation.
- LaTeX users: Start from the official ACM Overleaf template and use the document class:
\documentclass[sigconf,screen,review,anonymous]{acmart} - Word users: Use the one-column submission template and be prepared to submit to TAPS about a week earlier than the stated camera-ready deadline.
If accepted, Word users may be asked to reformat their paper for publication.
ACM CCS concepts and keywords are not required for submission, but they will be needed for publication.
Please follow the SIGCHI Guide to an Accessible Submission to ensure accessibility for all readers. In particular, provide sufficient descriptions for each figure: in LaTeX/Overleaf, use \Description{}, and in Word, use the “Edit Alt Text” feature.
2. Submit your paper
Submit your paper to the conference submission system (PCS), including the title, abstract, anonymised manuscript (PDF), and author details (to be revealed only upon acceptance).
By submitting to CUI 2026, authors acknowledge and agree to comply with ACM Publications Policies, including the Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects. Alleged violations of these policies may result in retraction and other penalties as per ACM Publications Policy.
3. Await reviews
Each paper will be double-anonymously peer reviewed by three experts. Reviewers are asked to assess clarity of argument, originality, and provocative potential. Papers that generate lively discussion—even disagreement—may be considered successful provocations.
4. Prepare your paper for publication
If accepted, please de-anonymise your paper and add CCS concepts and keywords. Programme Chairs will provide detailed publication instructions.
At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the conference for the work to appear in the proceedings. Accepted papers will be archived in the ACM Digital Library.
You will receive an email from ACM to assign rights, followed by a message from the ACM Publishing System (TAPS) to handle final publication. TAPS will generate both a single-column HTML and a two-column PDF version of your paper. Please review ACM’s TAPS Best Practices.
All authors are required to have an ORCID ID for publication. ACM collects ORCIDs to support author discoverability and accurate attribution.
All ACM publications follow the Green Open Access route by default, though authors may opt for Gold Open Access at their discretion.
5. Present your work
Accepted provocations will be presented during a dedicated session designed to encourage open discussion and audience interaction. Details on the session format will be shared closer to the conference.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Provocation Chairs—Katie Seaborn, Smit Desai, and Samuel Rhys Cox—at cui2026-provocations@cui.acm.org.