Exploring the role of Argumentation in Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Communication, Collaboration, and Trust

The growing impact of artificial intelligence on everyday life has fueled the emergence of Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI), an approach aimed at developing intelligent systems that not only emulate and extend human capabilities but also foster meaningful collaboration, societal integration, and ethical responsibility. In this work, we present a comprehensive survey of the role of argumentation in HCAI, examining its theoretical foundations, methodologies, and applications, as well as its potential to enhance communication, informed decision-making, and responsible humanAI interaction across diverse domains. Building on this analysis, we introduce the Argumentation-based Proof-Event Calculus (APEC), a formal and human-aligned framework designed to support trustworthy collaboration between humans and AI agents in goal-oriented decision processes. The proposed APEC framework advances HCAI by explicitly incorporating temporal dynamics, evaluating both individual and collective agent contributions in multi-agent systems, and supporting the iterative refinement and evolution of decisions toward well-justified outcomes.