Machine+Behavior Conference 2026

In an era marked by the rapid ascent of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and advanced language models like ChatGPT, society at large finds itself at the forefront of transformative changes. Machines powered by AI increasingly mediate our social, cultural, economic, and political interactions, evolving into active agents in the world.

With AI now permeating every aspect of our lives, from shaping global finance to influencing personal interactions, a profound understanding of machine behavior becomes a necessity and key research endeavor of behavioral science. This involves dissecting the emergent behaviors of both standalone AI systems and complex human-machine collectives. The seminal Nature article on machine behavior has set the stage, advocating for a comprehensive research agenda that transcends disciplinary boundaries, integrating insights from computer science, psychology, cognitive science, economics, and more.

Scheduled for 18-19 May, 2026 at Harnack House, the Machine+Behavior Conference is more than a series of discussions. It’s a call to action to collectively shape the research agenda on machine behavior, forge lasting ties within the community, and shape the narrative of our collective future with AI. Join us in this pivotal journey as we explore, question, and shape the intersection of AI and human society.

Call for Posters 

We invite poster submissions for the Machine+Behavior Conference 2026. It will offer a platform for researchers, particularly those early in their careers, to showcase their latest results, ongoing projects, and innovative ideas in a succinct, high-impact manner.

Posters will be prominently displayed at the conference venue and featured during a dedicated poster session. In addition, a selected subset of poster presenters will be invited to give 5-minute lightning talks on Day 1 of the conference. 

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a two-page abstract including one mandatory descriptive figure with a caption by 18 January 2025, 23:59 CET via our EasyChair submission. The two-page limit includes figures and references. 

List of Topics

We are particularly interested in submissions that adopt an interdisciplinary approach to explore the social and behavioral impact of AI, with a special focus on generative AI. The conference embraces a wide array of methods, including techniques from:

• Behavioral Science: Designing experimental paradigms to understand AI behavior in real-world contexts and its impact on human behavior.
• Complexity Science: Exploring generative AI, and its interaction with humans, as a complex system on an individual and collective level.
• Cultural Evolution: Investigating the co-evolution of humans and generative AI and its cultural implications.
• Economics: Assessing the economic behavior of machines and the resulting social and economic impacts.

Committees

Conference Co-Chairs

• Iyad Rahwan, Max Planck Institute for Human Development
• Jean-Francois Bonnefon, French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
• Azim Shariff, The University of British Columbia

Program committee

• Hiromu Yakura
• Ali Alhosseini
• Bramantyo Supriyatno
• Chaewon Yun
• Qiankun Zhong
• Neele Engelmann

Venue

The conference will be held in Berlin, Germany. The Harnack House is located in the center of the German “Oxford in Berlin”, which is characterized by excellent scientific institutions. Established in 1929 as guest house and conference venue of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society in Berlin-Dahlem, it distinguished itself, particularly in the early years, quickly as an international scientific club. Since 2000 the house has been the conference venue of the Max Planck Society.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to chm-pr@mpib-berlin.mpg.de