Overview
Explore why factually correct AI answers can still mislead, conceal uncertainty and limit critical thinking, with
Speakers
Dr Jordan Allison
Agenda
18:30 - Talk by Dr Jordan Allison
19:30 - Questions and Answers
19:45 - Event Ends
Synopsis
We often focus on the risks of AI getting things wrong. But what happens when an AI system gives us an answer that is factually correct, sounds convincing, and still leaves us with an incomplete understanding? This talk explores the less visible epistemic risks of generative AI: how apparently reliable answers can conceal uncertainty, competing interpretations, missing perspectives and unexamined assumptions. Through examples spanning educational research, cultural knowledge and AI-generated software, we will consider why correctness alone is not always enough to establish that an answer is fit for purpose. From the assumptions embedded in apparently straightforward questions to the security and reliability implications of AI-generated code, the session examines what can be lost when a plausible answer is mistaken for a complete solution. The talk will introduce practical ways to evaluate AI outputs beyond factual accuracy, including attention to context, evidence, uncertainty and alternative perspectives. It will also consider the implications for AI literacy and education, software engineering, research and professional decision-making. The central question is not simply whether AI can give us the right answer, but whether it can help us recognise when that answer is not the end of the inquiry.
About the speakers
Dr Jordan Allison is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Gloucestershire and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Educational Computing Research. His academic leadership spans scholarly publishing, computing education and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence. Through his editorial work and research, he contributes to shaping standards for rigorous, transparent and reproducible research, including the development of the RAISE (Reporting AI Studies in Education) framework. Dr Allison’s research and professional interests focus on how digital technologies shape knowledge, learning and decision-making, with particular attention to the assumptions, ethical considerations and wider implications of technology and AI. He serves on the committee of the Cheltenham and Gloucester branch of the BCS, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the British Educational Research Association. In this talk, he brings together perspectives from computing, research leadership and responsible AI to examine why factual accuracy alone is insufficient when evaluating AI-generated answers, and what professionals can do to ensure that AI supports better-informed, more critical decisions.
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