Seminar on Human-AI Co-Creativity
Saarland University — Winter Semester 2026

The course will provide an overview of state-of-the-art research on topics related to generative AI, creativity, and human-AI co-creation. The course consists of the following components: (i) research papers, (ii) project, and (iii) final presentation. Further details about the course structure and logistics are provided below. The following website provides links to recent activities and resources on human-AI co-creativity.

Organizers

Timeline and Updates

  • Until end of September 2026: Register for the seminar course at https://seminars.cs.uni-saarland.de.
  • 20 October 2026: We have a new course mailing list. To reach out to organizers/tutors, you should send an email to haicocreativity-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org (instead of contacting via individual emails).
  • 27 October 2026: Paper assignments for reading and writing reports are finalized by this date. The list of papers is provided below and split into three batches (Batch-A, Batch-B, and Batch-C). You can pick any one paper in a batch for writing reports, i.e., reports for a total of 3 papers.
  • 27 October 2026: We will meet on 27 October (Tuesday) 2026, 10-11am. Details have been sent to enrolled students via email.
  • Until 16 November 2026: After being allocated a slot in the seminar, you will have to register for the seminar course examination in the LSF at Saarland University. You should register for the seminar course examination by 16 November 2026; this is also the deadline to withdraw by emailing us. If the LSF registration is not possible for you (e.g., as a visiting student or another department), you can confirm your participation by directly emailing us.
  • 2 November 2026: The report for Batch-A papers is due. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report.
  • 9 November 2026: The report for Batch-B papers is due. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report.
  • 16 November 2026: The report for Batch-C papers is due. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report.
  • 23 November 2026: Project proposals are due by this date.
  • 24 November 2026: We will meet on 24 November (Tuesday) 2026, 10-11am. You will present your project ideas to the class.
  • 25 November to 1 December 2026: Tutors with organize one-on-one meetings with students to discuss project proposals.
  • 7 December 2026: Project details will be finalized by this date.
  • 8 February 2027: Project report and material are due.
  • Between 15 February and 19 March 2027: Final presentations will take place. The exact dates will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students. Slides will be due before the presentation date.

Overview of Course Structure

The course consists of the following main components:
  • Research papers: During the first three weeks, students will read research papers and write a short report for each paper. This component carries one-sixth of the final score.
  • Project proposals: During the next three weeks, students will submit project proposals and pick a concrete project in discussions with tutors. This component carries one-sixth of the final score.
  • Project: During the second half of the semester, students will work on a project. This component carries one-third of the final score.
  • Final presentation: At the end of the semester, students will give a presentation based on the project, along with relevant research papers related to your project. This component carries one-third of the final score.
Tutors will arrange meeting sessions and office hours during the semester — further information will be communicated to enrolled students as we move along in the semester. You can also reach out to us anytime by sending an email to haicocreativity-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org.

Important Note: Your submissions (i.e., reports, proposals, project, and presentation) should be based on work done individually by you. Moreover, you should appropriately acknowledge and credit any resources used in preparation of your submissions (e.g., online tutorials, generative AI tools, or any peers who helped you). You should provide this information at the end of your reports under an Acknowledgements section.

Detailed Instructions

Reading research papers and writing reports

  • Each student has to write reports for a total of 3 papers. The list of papers is provided below and split into three batches (Batch-A, Batch-B, and Batch-C). You can pick any one paper in a batch for writing report.
  • For each of the picked papers, you will have to write a two-page long report.
  • Each report should be submitted as a PDF file by sending an email to haicocreativity-w26-tutors@mpi-sws.org. You should name your PDF files as lastname_paper#.pdf (e.g., lastname_paperA1.pdf, lastname_paperB3.pdf, and so on).
  • Reports should be written in LaTeX using the following NeurIPS style files.
  • In case you are unfamiliar with writing reports in LaTeX, we recommend using Overleaf (an online LaTeX editor).
  • Structure the report into two sections as follows:
    • In the first section, write down a review of the paper, including a short summary of the paper, a discussion on how the paper extends state of the art, and the main strengths and weaknesses of the paper.
    • In the second section, write down three different ideas on how you would like to extend the techniques and results in the paper. If you wish, you could also pursue these ideas as part of your project.
  • You can provide Acknowledgements by adding a section \section*{Acknowledgements} in the LaTeX source.
  • These reports will correspond to one-sixth of the final score.

Project proposals

  • The project will be centered around the seminar theme of human-AI co-creativity. Students will have the freedom to pursue a project of their choice. To begin, each student will submit project proposals; the timeline for proposal submissions is listed above. The project proposals could be related to the seminar papers, or could also be new directions you are most excited about.
  • You should submit one PDF file (compiled using the LaTeX style files used for reports). Following the naming convention of reports, please name your PDF file as lastname_proposal.pdf. We suggest putting one or two project plans in this PDF file. Each project plan could be about half to one page long. For instance, in case you have two project plans, you can name the first section as "Project Plan 1" and the second section as "Project Plan 2".
  • Based on your project proposals and discussions with tutors, a concrete project will be finalized.
  • This component will correspond to one-sixth of the final score.

Project

  • You will have to submit a project report and related material (e.g., code, app, or survey). Each student will work on the project separately (no teams).
  • The project will correspond to one-third of the final score.

Presentations

  • You will prepare a presentation of about 25 minutes. Your presentation will be based on the project, along with relevant research papers related to your project.
  • At the end of the semester, you will give a final presentation. These final presentations will be mandatory to complete the course. We will block time spread across a day for the presentations. The exact date will be finalized in discussion with enrolled students.
  • The slides and presentation will correspond to one-third of the final score.

List of Research Papers

Batch-A

The report for Batch-A papers is due on 2 November 2026. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.

Batch-B

The report for Batch-B papers is due on 9 November 2026. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.

Batch-C

The report for Batch-C papers is due on 16 November 2026. You can pick any one paper in this batch for writing a report. Please download the PDF files from the specific links provided below to avoid confusion about different versions.


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