Speakers
Presentation
Much of the conversation about AI is dominated by concern — that it will erode students' thinking or replace the jobs they're training for. This lightning session offers a more positive angle: generative AI has the potential to profoundly empower students to tailor the digital world to their needs, and avoid information overload or addictive design patterns like infinite feeds.
In this practical session, Dr Ulrik Lyngs demonstrates how new advances in AI empower anyone to "vibe code" tools that change the internet to our liking, by simply describing what we want in plain English and letting the AI write the code. The potential benefits to wellbeing and productivity are substantial: students who struggle with digital addiction no longer have to wait for tech companies to redesign their products; they can be empowered to change digital environments to suit their needs. This can be a particularly important approach for those students who are most attentionally vulnerable online, including those with ADHD or autism.
The session provides participants with live examples of the power of ‘agentic coding’, and pointers for how students can be directed towards practical and accessible ways to modify the online world to their needs.
Dr Ulrik Lyngs is a research fellow at the University of Oxford, visiting researcher at the University of Copenhagen, and Director of the Reduce Digital Distraction Project. He was awarded Oxford University’s 2024 MPLS Early Career Research Impact for his work on the ReDD Project. In Denmark, Ulrik serves as research representative on the national Media Council for Children and Young People, which disseminates knowledge about digital media use.