Keynote Speakers
Duncan Brumby
Professor Duncan Brumby is a globally recognised expert in HCI, dedicated to understanding how digital tools shape human behaviour, productivity, and well-being. At University College London, he directed the MSc HCI program, educating the next generation of technology researchers and practitioners. As Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (IJHCS), he oversees the publication of research that advances human-centred technology design.
Duncan’s research addresses two of the most pressing challenges in technology today: managing the pervasive impacts of smartphone use and exploring the transformative potential of generative AI. Collaborations with organisations like Microsoft Research, the BBC, and EDF Energy have translated academic insights into practical solutions.
A distinguished international speaker, Duncan is celebrated for engaging diverse audiences with clarity and insight. He has delivered over 80 keynotes and invited talks at leading institutions, including Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Microsoft, and Google. Whether addressing packed auditoriums, connecting with virtual audiences, or contributing to public discourse through outlets like the BBC and Times Radio, Duncan excels at making complex ideas accessible and actionable for students, professionals, and industry leaders alike.
Talk title: The LLM Paradox: We Use Them Constantly—But Are They Helping?
LLMs have rapidly become an everyday tool that people turn to when doing knowledge work. Drawing on our recent studies with university students completing assessments, professional knowledge workers carrying out corporate tasks, and academic reviewers evaluating research papers, I present findings on how people are actually using these tools in practice. We find that tasks are rarely completed any faster or to a higher standard, and users report being all too aware of the many shortcomings they see in using LLMs. Despite their widespread adoption, many people still go to considerable lengths to conceal their use of these tools from others.
Why, then, is use so pervasive? Our findings point toward a mix of design choices and social pressures that draw people in: the ease of getting started, the appeal of an always-available conversational partner, the gentle sycophancy that reassures rather than challenges, and the competitive pressures in work and study that make delegation feel sensible—even necessary. Rather than framing this as a simple question of over-reliance or misuse, I explore why people might continue to turn to LLMs even when they don’t appear to be helping very much—an urgent question, given that the ever-growing use of these tools also carries significant environmental costs.
Elizabeth Churchill
Professor Elizabeth Churchill is an applied social scientist, interactive technology designer and social communications researcher. She is the founding Department Chair of Human Computer Interaction at MBZUAI (the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and was formerly a Senior Director of User Experience at Google. Elizabeth is an Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Fellow, a member of the ACM’s CHI Academy, and an ACM Distinguished Speaker. She has a background in psychology (neuro, experimental, cognitive and social), Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science. She has built research teams at Google, eBay, Yahoo, PARC and FujiXerox.
She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, an honorary Doctor of Science (DSc.) from the University of Sussex, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Stockholm. In 2016, she received a Citris-Banatao Institute Athena Award for Women in Technology for her Executive Leadership. She received the SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award in 2023 and the SIGCHI Lifetime Practice Award in 2024.
She currently serves as the Co-Editor in Chief of ACM’s Interactions magazine and as Assistant Editor on a number of journals. She has served on numerous advisory boards and was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Media X, the industry affiliate program to Stanford’s H-STAR Institute.