Keynote by Prof. Park on Human-Centered AI and Digital Coaching for Healthy Longevity: Lessons from Gerontechnology, HRI, and Aging Research, 1 June 2026
📅 Monday, June 1 2026, 2:00 – 3:00 pm CET 📍UZH IfIS: Plattenstrasse 10, 8032 Zürich, 14th floor, Meeting Room “Adliswil” or 💻 Zoom
(Please note, the door to the 14th floor is badge access only; please arrive on time to avoid disruption)
🎤 Hosted by Dr. Rasita Vinay, CDHI Core Director for Digital Ethics & Care for Older Adults
About the Lecture
As populations age, there is growing interest in human-centered AI and digital coaching systems that can support independence, well-being, social connection, and healthy longevity. At the same time, many AI-driven health technologies continue to struggle with addressing the lived experiences, emotional needs, and everyday contexts of older adults.
In this keynote, Chorong Park, Ph.D., will present insights from her work at the Empathetic Lifespan AI & Robotics for Aging (ELARA) Lab at the University of Houston, where she and her team design and study human-centered AI, human–robot interaction, gerontechnology, and user-centered technologies for aging populations.
Drawing on projects involving empathetic AI systems, socially assistive robots, voice-based interaction, and digital health tools, the talk will explore how emerging technologies can support older adults in areas such as daily health management, care support, social connection, and technology acceptance. Particular attention will be given to key design challenges including trust, usability, personalization, dignity, emotional resonance, and the persistent gap between technical innovation and real-world adoption. The keynote will conclude by highlighting future opportunities for AI-supported digital coaching and healthy longevity interventions, emphasizing how interdisciplinary collaboration can help create systems that are not only intelligent and adaptive, but also meaningful, acceptable, and usable in older adults’ everyday lives.
About Prof. Chorong Park
Dr. Park is an Assistant Professor and Presidential Frontier Faculty member at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston where she leads the Empathetic Lifespan AI & Robotics for Aging (ELARA) Lab. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on gerontechnology, human-computer and human-robot interaction, AgeTech, UX design, and immersive technologies such as AR/VR, with a particular emphasis on supporting healthy and independent aging through empathetic AI and robotics. She earned her Ph.D. in Technology with a graduate minor in Gerontology and develops human-centered technologies that enhance quality of life for older adults and caregivers. Her recent work explores how socially assistive AI and robotic systems can foster meaningful interaction, emotional well-being, and accessibility across the lifespan. Additional information about her work is available through the University of Houston feature story.