Apple showcases AI and AirPods research at CHI 2026 Apfelpatient

At the ACM conference CHI 2026 in Barcelona, Apple is presenting three research papers on AI-generated UI design, accessibility, and the development of the AirPods Pro 3. Additionally, there will be hands-on demos of the new AirPods design.

Apple rarely offers insights into its internal research – the annual CHI conference (Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) is one of the few exceptions. At this year's event, held from April 13-17 in Barcelona, Apple is presenting three scientific studies and once again sponsoring the event. The focus is on AI-powered user interfaces, navigation for blind people, and the research behind the design of the AirPods Pro 3.

CHI is one of the most important academic conferences for human-computer interaction. Apple regularly uses it to publish research that provides insights into the development of future products and features. This year's three studies cover a wide range of topics—from how AI models generate user interfaces to how wearables can fit as many body shapes as possible.

AI-powered UI generation

Two of the three studies address how AI can help developers and designers create user interfaces. The first study examines how feedback from professional designers can be used to train AI models that generate better and more usable interfaces. The second study describes how AI can quickly generate and compare different UI variations—similar to the approach Apple takes in its recently introduced SQUIRE prototyping tool.

Both studies show that Apple views AI-powered software development not only as a coding tool, but also wants to automate the design process itself – a direction that could eventually be incorporated into Xcode and Apple's developer tools.

Accessibility: AI navigation for blind users

The third study, titled “SceneScout,” describes a system that combines Apple Maps APIs with a multimodal AI model to provide blind users with interactive descriptions of street views. Instead of relying on static image descriptions, users can ask questions about their surroundings and receive context-sensitive answers.

Apple has been investing heavily in accessibility for years – from VoiceOver and door and person detection to speech recognition for the hearing impaired. SceneScout would be a logical extension of this strategy and could appear as a feature within the Maps app in future iOS versions.

AirPods Pro 3: The research behind the design

In addition to the three studies, Apple is holding four hands-on demo sessions for the AirPods Pro 3 at CHI. The focus is on the research behind the redesigned fit, which Apple describes as one of its most elaborate development projects in the wearables sector.

The foundation is based on over 10,000 3D ear scans and more than 100,000 hours of user research in the fields of human factors, biomechanics, acoustics, and industrial design. The goal: an earphone that provides a tight acoustic seal for as many different ear shapes as possible – the prerequisite for effective active noise cancellation.

The demo sessions will take place from April 13th to 16th and invite conference attendees to test the improved fit and ANC performance for themselves. (Image: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff)