ELLIS HCML Workshop 2026

This event is the annual workshop of the ELLIS Human-centric Machine Learning Program, hosted in Alicante, Spain on the 28th of May 2026, with a working dinner and panel on the 27th of May 2026, and with an option for hybrid attendance. The workshop is focused on trustworthy AI and is open to participants from ELLIS, ELIAS, ELLIOT, and ELSA, especially those working on trustworthy, safe, robust, secure, and interpretable AI systems.

Online link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/394625408153444?p=s7A0kAGVjAoj3rFVIv

ELLIS Programs

In addition to ELLIS sites, a European network of top researchers working at locations throughout Europe is being established, and organized into ELLIS Programs. These Programs, directed by outstanding European researchers and including leading researchers as Program Fellows, focus on high-impact problem areas that have the potential to move the needle in modern AI.

The ELLIS Programs are inspired by the CIFAR Program model, and closely collaborate with the CIFAR LMB (Learning in Machines and Brains) Program. Each Program has a budget for 2-3 workshops/year to enable meetings of 10-15 Fellows plus guests for intensive scientific exchange. Workshops can be co-located with academic meetings, usually held in Europe, or organised as stand-alone events, usually at, and with the support of, ELLIS unit sites.

ELLIS / ELIAS / ELLIOT / ELSA HCML Workshop 2026

This workshop focuses on trustworthy AI, including robustness, safety and security, fairness, transparency, accountability, and interpretability of decisions of large-scale AI systems, including LLMs, VLMs, and multimodal systems.

The workshop is co-organized by Adrian Weller, Plamen Angelov, and Nuria Oliver, and is open to participants from ELLIS, ELIAS, ELLIOT, and ELSA.

The goals of the workshop are to:

  • Share an update on ELLIS
  • Understand what each fellow is working on
  • Explore ways to collaborate

Schedule

This event will take place on the 27th and 28th of May, 2026, in Alicante, Spain. Times are in CEST (UTC+2).

Time Description
May 27, 19:00 – 21:00 Working dinner + panel – AI in Higher Education
Venue: Teselas

Panelists:
Cristina Cachero, Professor, Department of Software and Computing Systems (University of Alicante)
David Tomás, Professor, Department of Software and Computing Systems (University of Alicante)
Victoria Roca, Professor, Department of Philosophy of Law and International Law (University of Alicante)
Moderator: Nuria Oliver (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS Fellow
May 28, 9:00 – 9:20 Welcome and coffee
9:20 – 9:30 Introduction by ELLIS HCML Program Directors (Plamen Angelov, Nuria Oliver, Adrian Weller)
Aims of the workshop:
  • Share an update on ELLIS
  • Understand what each fellow is working on
  • Explore ways to collaborate
9:30 – 10:30 Invited speaker - 40’ talk plus discussion
Paula Helm (Goethe University)
Dismantling Myths of Omnipotence. Foundation Models, Diversity and Epistemic Justice.
10:30 – 11:15 First session — AI Safety and Ethics
15’ talk + 5’
  • 10:30 – 10:50: Nuria Oliver (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS Fellow
    Jailbreaking reasoning models
  • 10:50 – 11:10: Juan Antonio Pérez-Ortiz (Universitat d’Alacant)
    Ethical aspects of collecting linguistic data from indigenous people
  • 11:10 – 11:15: Summary and Q&A
11:15 – 11:45 Coffee break
11:45 – 13:10 Second session — Humans and AI
15’ talk + 5’
  • 11:45 – 12:10: Bruno Lepri (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) - ELLIS Fellow
    Generative AI collective behavior needs an interactionist paradigm
  • 12:10 – 12:30: Ciro Cattuto (ISI Foundation) - ELLIS Fellow
    Agent frameworks for complex systems simulation
  • 12:30 – 12:50: Umang Bhatt (University of Cambridge) - ELLIS Member
    Building a Human API
  • 12:50 – 13:10: Plamen Angelov (Lancaster University) - ELLIS Fellow
    Knowledge preserving continual learning
13:10 – 15:00 Lunch - Mareando la Huerta
15:00 – 16:00 Third session — PhD & PostDoc Forum
5’ spotlight talks
  • 15:00 – 15:20 — AI Safety
    • Elaf Almahmoud (University of Cambridge)
    • Diego Miguel Lozano (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS PhD Student
    • Adrian Arnaiz-Rodriguez (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS Member
  • 15:20 – 15:40 — Bias, Fairness
    • Aditya Gulati (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS Member
    • Mengting Wei (University of Oulu) - ELLIS PhD Student
    • Ioannis Sarridis (CERTH)
  • 15:40 – 16:00 — AI, Humans and Society
    • Julien Colin (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS PhD Student
    • Kim Zierhan (ELLIS Alicante) - ELLIS PhD Student
    • Ariella Shulman (University of Cambridge)
16:00 – 17:00 Second invited speaker - 40’ talk plus discussion
Tom Lenaerts (Université libre de Bruxelles / Vrije Universiteit Brussel) - ELLIS Member
Why diversity is key for collective wisdom, Stories on our collective intelligence reseach.
17:00 – 17:15 Discussion and closing

Online Attendance

Workshop participants can attend virtually via a MSFT Teams link (28th of May only, the working dinner on the 27th will not be streamed): https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/394625408153444?p=s7A0kAGVjAoj3rFVIv

Venue

Workshop activities will be held in the Sala Rafael Altamira at the Sede Universitaria Ciudad de Alicante.