Introduction to this special issue on unifying human computer interaction and artificial intelligence

McCarthy (1998) defined Artificial Intelligence (AI) as both “the science and engineering of intelligent machines, especially computer programs” and the “computational part of the ability to achieve goals in the world.” Today, AI is increasingly deployed across many domains of direct societal relevance, such as transportation, retail, criminal justice, finance, and health. But these very domains that AI is aiming to revolutionize may also be where human implications are the most momentous. The potential negative effects of AI on society, whether amplifying human biases or the perils of automation, cannot be ignored, and as a result, such topics are increasingly discussed in scholarly and popular press contexts. As the New York Times notes:“… if we want [AI] to play a positive role in tomorrow’s world, it must be guided by human concerns”(Li, 2018). The relationship between technology and humans is the direct focus of …