About the Workshop

Recent advances in agents (i.e., autonomous, goal-driven AI systems that iteratively observe, act, and learn from their environments) offer a fundamentally different approach from traditional AI models that passively respond to input. These agentic AI systems are rapidly reshaping how we approach data-intensive tasks and providing new opportunities for the VIS community. Imagine an agent autonomously generating visualizations to analyze complex data, discovering patterns collaboratively, testing hypotheses, and communicating visual insights at a speed and scale beyond human capability.

Yet, the emergence of these powerful systems raises critical questions that the VIS community must address: Could autonomous agents eventually replace human data scientists, and if not, how might they best collaborate? Are current visualization techniques and interfaces, originally designed for human analysts, suitable for agent interactions? How can VIS designers effectively integrate agents into their workflows without compromising human agency? And to what extent should agents help shape and educate the next generation of visualization researchers?

Through a mix of keynote talks, paper presentations, and an agentic VIS challenge, this workshop invites researchers and practitioners to share innovative ideas, explore these questions, and discuss strategies to transform the impact of VIS for a future where human and AI agents co-exist.

Topics of Interest

• Visual analytics for generative and foundation models
• Human-agent collaboration in data analysis and visualization
• Evaluation methods for agent-generated visual artifacts
• Interactive systems for explaining, steering, and debugging AI
• Visualization authoring workflows augmented by GenAI
• Responsible, transparent, and trustworthy AI-mediated analysis

Important Dates

• Call for Participation: May 30, 2026
• Submission Deadline: Aug 15, 2026
• Author Notification: Sep 10, 2026
• Camera Ready Deadline: Oct 1, 2026
• November 9, 2026: Workshop Day

Program

The 2026 program is under development. Expected formats include invited talks, paper or position presentations, demos, and discussion sessions around the role of agents in visualization research and practice.

Organizers

• Zhu-Tian ChenUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Nam Wook KimBoston College
• Saeed BoorboorUniversity of Illinois Chicago
• Shivam RavalHarvard University
• Pan HaoUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Qianwen WangUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• Vidya SetlurTableau Research

Contact

For questions, contact visxgenai@ieeevis.org.