Title: Navigating AI and Human Behaviour: Implications for Well-being and Learning
Professor Raian Ali
Professor, College of Science and Engineering
Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Abstract:
This talk reviews recent work in Technology and Human Behaviour, with a special focus on advances in AI. Case studies from social media addiction, misinformation, cybersecurity, and online gaming will be presented. The speaker will discuss their latest research on AI’s impact on human attitudes and its potential addictive features. The talk integrates psychological theories and models that support the research and help interpret the findings. It also emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivities and cross-cultural comparisons. The session concludes with reflections and open questions on AI use in education and how to equip students with resilience to LLM dependency while maintaining critical thinking.
Bio:
Dr. Raian Ali is a Professor and UNESCO Chair in Digital Technologies and Human Behaviour, and a Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University, UK, and the Education University of Hong Kong. He earned his PhD from the University of Trento, Italy, in 2010, and has held academic positions at the University of Limerick, Ireland, and Bournemouth University. His first degree is from Latakia University (formerly Tishreen University), Syria. Raian’s research focuses on the intersection of Technology and Human Behaviour, addressing topics such as digital addiction, responsible technology use, and the impact of technology design on human well-being. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Persuasive Technology Society and the Behavioural and Social Computing Conference, and sits on the editorial boards of leading journals including Behaviour and Information Technology, Journal of Responsible Technology, and Human-Centric Artificial Intelligence. He currently leads the $3.8 million Cluster on Digital Citizenship in Qatar, overseeing six projects, more than 15 national and international partners, and a team of over 50 personnel. Raian also provides consultancy at both national and international levels.
Title: Artificial Intelligence and Education. A Critical Studies Perspective
Professor Wayne Holmes
Professor of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence and Education, UCL Knowledge Lab, IOE (UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society)
University College London
Abstract:
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is frequently hailed as a ‘solution’ to many of education’s core problems – problems such as the lack of qualified educators, student underachievement, and better preparing learners for 21st century careers (e.g., OECD, 2021). However, such claims tend to be aspirational rather than evidence-based (Miao & Holmes, 2021), and overly simplistic, forgetting issues such as agency, pedagogy, surveillance, efficacy, and ethics (Holmes et al., 2021; Holmes et al., 2022; Holmes & Porayska-Pomsta, 2022). In fact, teaching and learning with AI (AIED) all too often aims to replace educator roles rather than empower educators; while teaching and learning about AI (AI Literacy) almost always focuses on the technological dimension of AI (how it works) to the exclusion of the human dimension (its ethical, human rights, and social justice implications). Accordingly, this presentation will explore AI&ED from a critical studies and human rights perspective. It will identify and address many of the key myths, it will explore the untruths of generative AI, and it will pose more questions about AI and education than it answers.
Bio:
Wayne Holmes (PhD, University of Oxford) is Professor of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence and Education in the IOE (UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society), University College London (UK). He also holds a UNESCO Chair in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Education, hosted by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO (Slovenia). His research explores the ethical, human rights, and social justice implications of teaching and learning with and about Artificial Intelligence (AI&ED). Wayne is a lead member of the Council of Europe’s AI&ED expert group, which is developing legislation to protect the human rights of students and teachers engaging with AI systems, a consultant for UNESCO, and an expert for the United Nations and the EU JRC. Wayne has published extensively about AI&ED and has given invited keynotes in more than 20 countries around the world.
Title: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Unleash Students’ Potential: Insights from a Five-Year Hong Kong Study
Professor Siu-Cheung KONG
Research Chair Professor of E-Learning and Digital Competency
Director of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Competency Education Centre
The Education University of Hong Kong
Abstract:
Over the past five years, we have pioneered the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy into K-12 and university education, fostering a future-ready generation. This initiative, supported by the Education University of Hong Kong, donors, and industrial partners, aims to equip students with foundational AI knowledge, skills, and ethical awareness. Through tailored curricula and hands-on projects, students explore AI concepts such as machine learning and understand that AI is a kind of algorithmic intelligence. Our study has demonstrated success in nurturing AI competence and problem-solving skills, positioning Hong Kong as a leader in AI literacy education. In this presentation, we highlight the importance of using AI in education to unleash the potential of students. We address the transformative opportunities AI provides for equipping future generations to create meaningful value by working alongside it. We are developing pedagogies to encourage the classroom use of AI for enhancing independent thinking and metacognitive development.
Bio:
Professor KONG Siu Cheung is currently a Research Chair Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology and Director of the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Competency Education Centre (AIDCEC) at The Education University of Hong Kong. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning (RPTEL) and Journal of Computers in Education (JCE). He is on the Stanford Top 2% Scientist in Education list from 2019 to 2024. Professor Kong is leading projects on Artificial Intelligence Literacy for primary, secondary and university students, teachers, parents, and administrative staff in Hong Kong from 2020 to 2027. Currently, he is also leading projects on Artificial Intelligence in K-12 Education. He is the programme leader of the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence for Executive Professionals [MSc(AIEP)] programme at the Education University of Hong Kong.
Title: AI for Education: Exploration and Prospects
Professor Min ZHANG
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Technology
Tsinghua University
Abstract:
AI has empowered education with LLM technologies. In this talk, I will first talk about the AI-Empowered Learning Assistant and how to move on from MOOC to MAIC (Massive AI-Empowered Course) in Tsinghua University. Practices and studies of designing AI teachers, AI assistants, and AI learning-mates will be shared. I will also show the evaluation with cognition signals on the effectiveness of MAIC. Finally, challenges and Opportunities for AI-Empowered Education will be discussed.
Bio:
Dr. Min Zhang is a full professor in the Dept. of Computer Sci. & Tech., Tsinghua University. and the chief director of the AI Lab. She specializes in Web search, recommendation, and user modeling. Prof. Zhang is an ACM distinguished member, a SIGIR Academy fellow. She has been the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS) since 2020, and also serves as the General Chair of ACM MM’25, and PC Chairs of SIGIR’26, RecSys’23, CIKM’23, WSDM’17, etc. She won the “Test-of-Time” award at SIGIR’24, WSDM’22 Best Paper award, IBM Global Faculty Award, etc, and has a lot of collaborations with international and domestic industries.
