Digital Futures (KTH, Stockholm University and RISE)

A Digital Futures Distinguished Lecture by Ryan Baker, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Education at Adelaide University and Director of the Penn Center for Learning Analytics. Prior research shows that AI-generated feedback can improve student performance on essays and projects, but the goal of education is sustained learning rather than better performance on one task. Baker presents work on how students at the University of Pennsylvania use and learn from AI feedback in the JeepyTA discussion-forum platform, within and across courses; the feedback targets deeper aspects of project work rather than surface features such as grammar or clarity. The studies examine how students use the feedback and its effects on the current assignment, on later assignments in the same course and on similar assignments in later courses. JeepyTA feedback improved performance both immediately and on subsequent assignments in the same course, but the benefit did not transfer to a subsequent course.

A Digital Futures Distinguished Lecture by Ginevra Castellano, Professor of Intelligent Interactive Systems at Uppsala University and leader of the Uppsala Social Robotics Lab. Robots are spreading across manufacturing, assistive technology, healthcare and education, where they must interact with people efficiently and in socially acceptable ways; like any technology, they may also change how people think and behave. This calls for human-robot interaction research that designs more human-centric, trustworthy AI and robotics that keep humans at the centre and preserve human agency and autonomy. Castellano presents examples of trustworthy human-robot interaction in education, healthcare and transportation from the Uppsala Social Robotics Lab, examining human agency, autonomy, trust, transparency and fairness in the search for human-centric robots for the societal good.

What if a tattoo could change colour to reveal information about your health? Katia Vega presents research from the Interactive Organisms Lab at UC Davis on turning chemical signals in body fluids - such as pH, sodium and glucose levels - into new forms of interaction. The projects integrate biosensors into familiar objects and practices, from tattoos and dental orthodontics to lipstick, nail polish and wearable jewellery, making otherwise invisible biological information accessible. The talk also covers extensions to animal health monitoring and responsive biomaterials, opening opportunities for interaction design beyond conventional electronic interfaces. Her work spans Beauty Technology (electronics embedded in cosmetics), Biocosmetic Interfaces (everyday cosmetics and permanent tattoos as chemical biosensors) and Growable Interfaces (bio-based and living materials as substrates for sustainable interactive systems).