Dear friends,
On August 6, 2026, HARMONY 2026 made its debut in Pittsburgh, co-located with IEEE/ACM CHASE 2026. It was the very first HARMONY, and so many things had to come together for it to happen. We are so happy and proud to share this special moment with you! ✨
What you’ll hear in the opening
🌱 How HARMONY began (by accident!). An unexpected conversation at the CCC Future Computing Symposium, one piece of simple advice (“just start small”), and a room full of people who cared about the same thing.
🤝 Why we exist. The mental health crisis is escalating globally, and no single field can solve it alone. HARMONY is here to break the silos.
📊 How we did in year one. 11 accepted papers across computer science, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral science, reviewed by an interdisciplinary Program Committee from academia and industry.
💫 Why this is not a traditional workshop. Our focus is relationship building, so the whole program is designed around people, not just papers. Forget the labels on your website: if you care about AI and mental health, you belong here.
📑 Slides from the opening: Speaker Deck
What’s next
This is only the beginning. Soon we’ll share highlights from the day and our Shared Report, written together with the people who joined us in Pittsburgh and our community members in related fields. Future calls for papers and event announcements will land right here in your inbox. Not subscribed yet? Now’s the perfect time :)
📝 A recap and white paper (our Shared Report). Built from our interdisciplinary panel and roundtable discussions, with participants and community members invited as co-authors.
🌍 More voices at the table. We’ll reach into more disciplines and research communities, bringing in diverse expertise from policy, industry, and practice, not only academia.
🌟 A vision, not an annual sprint. Modeled on the CCC Future Computing Symposium, the full in-person workshop may return every two to three years. In between, we’ll focus on community building, visibility, and impact.
✈️ HARMONY may travel. Rotating across conferences helps us grow roots in different communities. We may also hold HARMONY seminars for more focused discussions, like Dagstuhl Seminars and NII Shonan Meetings.
🙌 The next HARMONY can be shaped by you. Tell us what to improve, and whether you’d like to contribute or join the team, in our feedback survey (even if you didn’t attend!).
If you know someone who cares about AI and mental health, please share this with them. We live in a world where trust has become a scarce resource, which is why your trust means so much to us. Especially when something is new, your word matters more than anything. 😊
Let’s make history together!
Warmly,
HARMONY Team
Empowering interdisciplinary collaboration to shape the future of AI and mental health.