A substantial body of research in multimodal interaction has studied how people naturally interact -face-to-face and through machinesand developed technology to analyze, support, and extend such forms of interaction. The talk will share personal experiences and views on how audio-visual and ubiquitous research on social interaction has evolved over the past two decades. Five recurrent questions, then and now, include how to study interaction in everyday life; how to learn from and collaborate with the humanities and social sciences; how to think about data; how to address the challenges brought by automation; and how to engage and empower individuals and communities to take part in research projects. Today, the limitations of technology-centric solutions are more evident than ever. Future research with a people-frst focus will continue to call for refection, commitment, and action for a long-term alignment with societal needs and nature's limits.