FALLA AI Conference

FALLA AI Conference 2026

As part of Milton Keynes Tech Week 2026, the Falla AI Conference returns for a day of inspiring discussion, practical insight, and critical reflection on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work, learning, and society. Bringing together researchers, educators, business leaders, innovators, policy makers, and practitioners, the conference will explore how organisations can successfully transform in response to AI, harnessing new technologies while remaining resilient, ethical, and human-centred. It will also examine the changing skills landscape and the knowledge, capabilities, and mindsets that future workers and citizens will need to thrive in an AI-enabled world.

Hosted by The Open University, this year’s event will be opened by Ian Pickup, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning, Teaching and Student Experience), and Mark Brandon, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), highlighting the University’s commitment to ensuring that AI is developed and applied in ways that expand opportunity, support lifelong learning, and deliver positive social impact.

The conference will feature a keynote address from Tom Way, CEO of Hays UK & Ireland. With over two decades of international experience in recruitment and workforce solutions, Tom brings a unique perspective on how AI is transforming labour markets, talent development, workforce strategy, and the future of skills.

Alongside the keynote programme, attendees will hear from industry and civic leaders including Sophie Lloyd, Head of Economic Development (Invest MK) at Milton Keynes City Council, who plays a leading role in regional growth, innovation, and infrastructure planning. Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, and audience engagement, the conference will examine how AI can be harnessed responsibly to drive economic prosperity, support learning and innovation, and help individuals, organisations, and communities flourish in a rapidly changing world.

Set at the heart of one of the UK’s most dynamic technology festivals, Falla AI Conference 2026 offers an opportunity to engage with leading voices from academia, industry, government, and the creative sectors, and to help shape the conversation about the future we want AI to create.

Event details

Date:

14 October 2026

Time:

09:30 – 17:30

Location:

The Hub Theatre and Jennie Lee Building, Walton Hall, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA

Primary unit:

Knowledge Media Institute

Research themes:

Strategic priorities:

Enablers:

Sustainable Development Goals:

Registration

Register for the Event:

Link to Eventbrite page (opens in a new tab)

Event chairs

John Domingue

Professor of Computer Science

John Domingue holds a position of Professor of Computer Science, at the Knowledge Media Institute (KMi), The Open University’s technology research and innovation centre. He also serves as the chair of the ESWC conference series. With a career including serving as KMi Director from 2015 to 2022, Prof. Domingue has contributed 250 refereed articles in fields such as semantics, AI, the Web, distributed ledgers, and eLearning.

Since the beginning of 2023, he has been at the forefront of examining the impact of Generative AI on higher education including a UKRI funded project (SAGE-RAI) with the Open Data Institute. John has also worked extensively on how distributed ledgers and blockchains can support academic and health credentialing in a decentralised fashion.

John has delivered numerous talks on his work, including appearances at the Royal Institution in 2018, TEDx, and featured in THE Campus on interdisciplinary research teams. In 2019, he was inducted as a Fellow of the British Blockchain Association, and in 2020, he became an Honorary Professor at Amity University.
To learn more about his work, visit kmi.open.ac.uk/people/domingue or follow him on X/Twitter: @johndmk or linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-domingue/.

Esther Spring

Learning Lead (Digital & Innovation)

Esther Spring is the skills and training lead for Digital, Data and AI Capabilities at the Open University. She has extensive experience implementing digital transformation and innovation projects, focusing on a human centred approach to supporting and developing staff capabilities and confidence, to harness new technology and sustainable ways of working.

At the Open University projects include the adoption of delivering learning via the VLE, creating OpenLearn and FutureLearn, and working with academic teams to help develop their online learning content. She has written a number of courses for OpenLearn on Supporting Hybrid Working, Digital Transformation and understanding sustainability.

To learn more or connect via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherspring/

Conference Opening

Mark Brandon

Professor Mark Brandon is Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at The Open University, with responsibility for leading strategic initiatives such as the OU’s REF submissions, its approach to knowledge exchange, and its entrepreneurial expansion activities.

A polar oceanographer, Mark joined the OU as an environmental science lecturer in 2000 after completing his PhD at Cambridge and working in the British Antarctic Survey. He was promoted to Professor in 2017, awarded an MBE for services to polar science in 2021, and won the prestigious Polar Medal in 2024. Mark has also advised the BBC on major series such as Frozen Planet and Blue Planet II, and served as a Special Advisor to Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee.

Mark’s commitment to education stems from his upbringing in East London, and he remains passionate about the OU’s mission to widen access to learning.

Ian Pickup

Professor Ian Pickup, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Students) at The Open University, is a passionate advocate for the role of universities in society. As a first-generation student, he deeply understands the transformative impact of higher education across learners’ life journeys. He holds a BA (with QTS) from the University of Warwick and a PhD in Education from the University of Roehampton. A National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Ian has made significant contributions to student experience in higher education through leadership, teaching, and international education initiatives.

Ian joined The OU in April 2023, following senior roles at the University of East London, SOAS University of London, University College Cork, and the University of Roehampton. His career spans education, sport, and charitable sectors, including external leadership roles such as trustee of LYR, a charity using rowing to transform lives, and advisory board member for Common Purpose London. His work continues to shape higher education policies, practitioner training, and student experience strategies.

To learn more about his work, visit Professor Ian Pickup – Open University Profile.

Keynote speakers

Tom Way

TBA

About Tom

Tom Way joined Hays in 2025 as CEO of Hays UK & Ireland, bringing more than 20 years of international recruitment and workforce solutions experience. He began his career specialising in Banking and Financial Services before leading Life Sciences business in San Francisco and subsequently across European markets. Throughout his career, Tom has held a number of senior leadership roles, building and leading high-performing teams across multiple regions and helping organisations navigate evolving talent and skills challenges. Today, as a member of Hays’ Global Executive Leadership Team, Tom plays a key role in shaping workforce strategy and supporting customers, colleagues and businesses across the UK&I. In 2026, he was named on Staffing Industry Analysts’ Staffing 100 Europe list, which recognises the European staffing leaders whose accomplishments and vision are helping shape the future of work.

Emma Darcy

Keynote focus

The AI Generation: Are Our Education Systems Ready?

Artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming the world that young people are entering, but is education evolving quickly enough to keep pace? This keynote explores how AI is reshaping expectations of learning, assessment, skills and employability across schools, colleges and universities.

Drawing on examples of innovative practice and real-world experiences from across the education sector, Emma will challenge assumptions about what young people need to thrive in an AI-enabled future. She will examine what is already working well, where barriers remain, and what a more relevant, responsive and future-focused education system could look like.

Central to the discussion is the role of student voice, not as an afterthought, but as a vital influence on how AI is understood, adopted and governed in education. The session will encourage educators, leaders and policymakers to consider whether we are genuinely preparing young people for the future, or continuing to preserve systems designed for the past.

About Emma

Emma Darcy is an AI and digital strategy consultant working with schools, trusts and education organisations across the UK and internationally. She previously led technology for learning at Denbigh High School in Luton for more than 13 years and played a key role in shaping digital strategy across Chiltern Learning Trust for over a decade, contributing to the Trust receiving the MAT Excellence Award for Digital Innovation in 2024. Emma’s work has been recognised through numerous national and international awards, including the Gold Pearson National Teaching Award for Digital Innovator of the Year and the Global EdTech Award for Most Impactful Senior Member of Staff. She is a trustee for Apps for Good, a founding member of The Digital Futures Group, and continues to support organisations with digital transformation, AI strategy and innovation. In 2026, Denbigh High School was shortlisted for Best Use of Technology at the TES Schools Awards, and Emma was named one of the Bett UK EdTech 10, recognising ten women internationally who are transforming the education technology landscape.

Agenda

Agenda
Start	End	Location	Item	Who
09:00	09:30	Juniper & Medlar	Registration and coffee
09:30	10:30	Hub Theatre	Welcome and introduction	John Domingue (Professor of Computer Science – OU), Esther Spring (Learning Lead Digital & Innovation – OU) Ian Pickup (Pro Vice Chancellor Students – OU), Mark Brandon (Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Research & Innovation – OU)
10:30	11:30	Hub Theatre		Tom Way, CEO Hays UK & Irelancd
11:30	12:15	Hub Theatre		Infosys
12:15	12:30	Hub Theater	OU Use Cases – Morning Close	John Domingue, (Professor of Computer Science – OU)
12:30	14:00	Jenny Lee Building	Lunch and Exhibitors
14:00	14:15	Hub Theatre	OU building Confidence and Capability and OpenLearn AI/MS hub	Esther Spring (Learning Lead Digital & Innovation – OU)
14:15	14:45	Hub Theatre		Panel Discussion
14:45	15:30	Hub Theatre	The AI Generation: Are Our Education Systems Ready?	Emma Darcy
15:30	16:15	Hub Theatre		Keynote
16:15	16:30	Hub Theatre		Closing remarks
16:30	17:30	Juniper & Medlar	Networking and drinks

Panel

Sophie Lloyd

Sophie Lloyd is Head of Economic Development at Milton Keynes City Council, leading Invest Milton Keynes and the city’s work on innovation, smart cities, inward investment, sustainability and economic growth. She has extensive experience in place-based economic development, strategic policy and regional collaboration, helping to shape major growth and innovation initiatives across Milton Keynes and the wider Oxford-Cambridge region.