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Humans and AI

human-AI Interaction; AI for learning and education; decision-making with AI; AI in AR and VR

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What we are interested in

At iol.human we investigate the integration of agentic AI, machine learning, and human-centered design to create adaptive, personalized systems for learning, decision-making, and societal change. Our research spans personalized education, where we develop LLM-based simulations and AI agents that support teachers in generating differentiated instructional materials for diverse learners; context-aware AI tutors, which dynamically adapt their instructional strategies by perceiving learners’ knowledge, motivation, and environment, moving beyond static recommendation models; and adaptive AR/VR for vocational training, where immersive technologies are tailored to individual learner characteristics to enhance skill development. In addition, we study human-AI decision-making, with a particular emphasis on how human and AI capabilities complement one another in practice, advancing our understanding of interaction, trust, and shared agency.

Researchers

Sebastian Pokutta
Department Head
pokutta (at) zib.de
Jana Gonnermann-Müller
Research Area Lead
gonnermann-mueller (at) zib.de

📝 Publications and preprints

Preprints

  1. Haase, J., Klessascheck, F., Mendling, J., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Sustainability Via LLM Right-sizing. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @misc{2025_HaaseFinnJanPokutta_Sustainabilityllm,
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2504.13217},
  primaryclass = {cs.CL},
  year = {2025},
  author = {Haase, Jennifer and Klessascheck, Finn and Mendling, Jan and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {Sustainability Via LLM Right-sizing},
  date = {2025-04-17}
}
  2. Haase, J., Hanel, P. H. P., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Has the Creativity of Large-Language Models Peaked? An Analysis of Inter- and Intra-LLM Variability. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @misc{2025_HaasePPokutta_Llmvariability,
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2504.12320},
  primaryclass = {cs.CL},
  year = {2025},
  author = {Haase, Jennifer and Hanel, Paul H. P. and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {Has the Creativity of Large-Language Models Peaked? An Analysis of Inter- and Intra-LLM Variability},
  date = {2025-04-10}
}
  3. Haase, J., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Beyond Static Responses: Multi-Agent LLM Systems As a New Paradigm for Social Science Research. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @misc{2025_HaasePokutta_Multiagentllm_2506-01839,
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2506.01839},
  primaryclass = {cs.MA},
  year = {2025},
  author = {Haase, Jennifer and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {Beyond Static Responses: Multi-Agent LLM Systems As a New Paradigm for Social Science Research},
  date = {2025-06-02}
}
  4. Gonnermann-Müller, J., Haase, J., Fackeldey, K., and Pokutta, S. (2025). FACET:Teacher-Centred LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems-Towards Personalized Educational Worksheets. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @misc{2025_JanaHaaseFackeldeyPokutta_Facetllm_2508-11401,
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2508.11401},
  primaryclass = {cs.HC},
  year = {2025},
  author = {Gonnermann-Müller, Jana and Haase, Jennifer and Fackeldey, Konstantin and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {FACET:Teacher-Centred LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems-Towards Personalized Educational Worksheets},
  date = {2025-08-15}
}

Conference proceedings

  1. Gonnermann-Müller, J., Sahling, K., and Haase, J. (2025). Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{2025_GonnermannSahlingHaase_Letsberealistic,
  year = {2025},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems},
  author = {Gonnermann-Müller, Jana and Sahling, Kristina and Haase, Jennifer},
  title = {}
}
  2. Haase, J., Hanel, P. H. P., and Pokutta, S. (2025, May 14). S-DAT: a Multilingual, GenAI-driven Framework for Automated Divergent Thinking Assessment. Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society (AIES). [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{2025_HaasePPokutta_SdatDivergentthinking,
  year = {2025},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society (AIES)},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2505.09068},
  primaryclass = {cs.CL},
  author = {Haase, Jennifer and Hanel, Paul H. P. and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {S-DAT: a Multilingual, GenAI-driven Framework for Automated Divergent Thinking Assessment},
  date = {2025-05-14}
}
  3. Schummel, P., Teichmann, M., and Gonnermann-Müller, J. (2025). Specifying Ten Roles of Using Chatgpt in Secondary Education: a Teacher´s Perspective. Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems.
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{2025_SchummelTeichmannGonnermann_Sepcifying,
  year = {2025},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems},
  author = {Schummel, Philip and Teichmann, Malte and Gonnermann-Müller, Jana},
  title = {Specifying Ten Roles of Using Chatgpt in Secondary Education: a Teacher´s Perspective}
}
  4. Gonnermann-Müller, J., Leins, N., Gronau, N., and Kosch, T. (2024). Value by Design: Reducing Cognitive Load by Using Visual Guidance in Augmented RealityAn Eye-Tracking Study. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems.
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{2024_GonnermannLeinsGronauKosch_Valuebydesign,
  year = {2024},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems},
  author = {Gonnermann-Müller, Jana and Leins, Nicolas and Gronau, Norbert and Kosch, Thomas},
  title = {Value by Design: Reducing Cognitive Load by Using Visual Guidance in Augmented RealityAn Eye-Tracking Study}
}
  5. Gonnermann-Müller, J., Brandenburger, B., Vladova, G., and Gronau, N. (2023). To What Extent Can Individualisation in Terms of Different Types of Mode Improve Learning Outcomes and Learner Satisfaction? A Pre-study. Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{2023_GonnermannBrandenburgerVladovaGronau_Towhatextendcanindividualisation,
  year = {2023},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences},
  author = {Gonnermann-Müller, Jana and Brandenburger, Bonny and Vladova, Gergana and Gronau, Norbert},
  title = {To What Extent Can Individualisation in Terms of Different Types of Mode Improve Learning Outcomes and Learner Satisfaction? A Pre-study}
}