Webinars
ACPIL run a series of research webinars and seminars each year.
These webinars are relevant to academics and researchers from most Faculties, Departments and Schools. They deliver practical useful information which may be put to use immediately. They also gives participants an opportunity to network with other researchers.
Current webinar
AI as an Answer-Finding Machine
or as a Cognitive Antagonist?
A one-hour webinar
Presented by Dr Dan Remenyi
6 October 2026 at 14:00 GMT+1
AI is not just about increasing personal productivity by finding answers and helping with writing. It can also be a powerful stimulant to real learning as a cognitive antagonist. A cognitive antagonist is a person or a system which questions assumptions, arguments, and/or conclusions with the purpose of increasing the insights of those concerned. This process is critical and challenging, with the objective of deepening understanding. This is another way of thinking about the classical dialectic, which describes the same cognitive friction and is central to learning.
The rapid integration of GenAI into education has created a critical crossroads for educators. Many, if not most, students and educationists are simply using AI as a sophisticated answer-finding machine and a provider of quick reports. But the technology can leverage learning far more effectively if it is used as a cognitive antagonist to trigger deeper critical thinking, intellectual friction, and active learning.
This webinar explores some the philosophical and practical conundrums facing modern pedagogy as a result of using GenAI, offering fresh frameworks for improving some student engagement in the age of AI.
What You Will Learn
In this webinar, you will learn how to transform your GenAI experience from a passive answer-finding machine into a thought-generating cognitive antagonist. You will learn how to design intellectual friction to support a robust cognitive partnership that drives active, deep, critical thinking.
This includes:
· Understanding the limitations of using AI purely for passive information retrieval or generating beautifully written reports.
· Learning how to intentionally design “intellectual friction” using AI to stimulate deeper student inquiry.
· Addressing the core ethical and practical challenges currently facing both students and educators.
Who Should Attend?
· Academic researchers and professors
· University lecturers and educators
· Educational technologists and instructional designers
· Anyone interested in the future of pedagogy and GenAI
The webinar will be held on Tuesday 6 October 2026, and it will run to GMT+1 time using Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent to registered participants the day before the event. The Zoom room will open at 1:45 pm (GMT+1) and the event will begin at 2:00 pm and will finish at 3:00 pm. The attendance fee is £20 (VAT is payable only by attendees from the UK).
To reserve a place on the webinar, please see: https://shop.academic-conferences.org/?ec_store=webinars and for further information contact: sue@academic-conferences.org
Webinar Facilitator
Dan Remenyi has been involved in a variety of roles in the ICT industry for most of his life. He has worked with producers, vendors, consultants and then spent some 30 years in academe teaching information systems management.
In recent years he has followed closely developments and applications in AI. During his years in academe, he has been a Visiting or Extraordinary Professor at 10 different universities. He holds a B Soc Sc, MBA and a PhD.
If you have any questions about this event email sue@academic-conferences.org