Every day, AI systems influence how we learn, shop, and make decisions—but to truly support us, AI must communicate in ways tailored to who we are as individuals.

In this episode, we share a keynote speech from the ADAPT Annual Scientific Conference that explores Explainable AI and its potential to personalize user experiences. The talk discusses how AI can adapt explanations to users’ unique traits and moment-to-moment states, improving trust and understanding. It highlights real-world applications in intelligent tutoring systems, recommender platforms, and healthcare technologies, illustrating how human-centered AI is reshaping interactions.

Join us as we explore the future of AI that not only acts intelligently but also connects meaningfully with each user. Our guest speaker is Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, Cristina Conati, a pioneer in user modeling, personalization, and explainable AI.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

● Evolving from generic systems to human-centred AI
● Unlocking personalization through multimodal signals
● Improving user trust, engagement, and learning outcomes
● Real-World applications from intelligent tutoring systems to healthcare technologies
● Complexities and ethical considerations of delivery

GUEST DETAILS

Professor Cristina Conati is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Milan and both a Master’s and Ph.D. in Intelligent Systems from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research lies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Cognitive Science, focusing on creating intelligent systems that adapt to individual users' needs. Professor Conati has over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple Best Paper Awards. She is an ACM Distinguished Member and an AAAI Senior Member.
https://www.cs.ubc.ca/people/cristina-conati

MORE INFORMATION

You can learn more about your AI Literacy in the Classroom here: https://ai-literacy-in-the-classroom.adaptcentre.ie/

Adapt Radio is produced by DustPod.io for the Adapt Centre

For more information about ADAPT visit www.adaptcentre.ie/

QUOTES

In order to have this AI driven personalization during interaction, what needs to be done is to establish what we call the AI driven personalization loop. - Cristina Conati

We're working towards creating intelligent systems that can understand to whom, when and how, to provide explanations of their behaviors. - Cristina Conati

The explanation should be designed so that a user can choose at what level of detail to go deeper. - Cristina Conati

It would be important to look at different user characteristics that might impact, like user reading proficiency or abilities to process visual information. - Cristina Conati

It’s super important to understand interplay between explanations and under or over reliance with AI. - Cristina Conati

KEYWORDS

#HumancenteredAI #explainableAI #usermodels #multimodal #learning #health