Title: Towards Ment’AI’ist: Augmenting Human Development Practitioners through Behavioral Sensing

Abstract: Face-to-face human communication is a complex process involving both verbal and nonverbal behaviors, such as gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Beginning with Charles Darwin, researchers have recognized these behaviors as spontaneous and unregulated expressions of internal states. Today, experts in human development analyze these signals in diverse domains, such as coaching and counseling, often in real-time to guide the conversation and enhance outcomes (e.g., promoting self-reflection). However, mastering these skills requires years of experience and often relies on subjective judgment. In this talk, I will discuss whether computers can interpret the complex dynamics of human communication and support experts through effective human-AI collaboration.

Bio: Riku is a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University. He is working on applied machine learning with a focus on behavior and health sensing at Smash Lab. Before coming to CMU, he received his B.E. and M.S. from The University of Tokyo. Riku publishes his research at top-tier HCI venues, including ACM CHI, UIST, and IMWUT (Ubicomp/ISWC) with multiple Best Paper / Honorable Mention Awards. He is a recipient of the Funai Fellowship, the Masason Fellowship, the Snap Research Fellowship, the Center for Machine Learning and Health Fellowship, and the QUAD Fellowship. Recently, he has also been awarded the Ubicomp Gaetano Borriello Outstanding Student Award (2025) and the Forbes Asia 30 under 30 Healthcare & Science (2024).

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