DavidĀ Metcalf, PhD
Inspiring innovation and initiatives for human performance improvement
David Metcalf has more than 25 years of experience in the design and research of web-based and mobile technologies converging to enable learning and healthcare. Dr. Metcalf is Director of the Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab (METIL) at UCF's Institute for Simulation and Training. The team has built mHealth solutions, simulations, games, eLearning, mobile and enterprise IT systems for Google, J&J, VA, U.S. military and UCF's College of Medicine among others. Recent projects include Lake Nonaā€™s Intelligent Home and transmedia, adaptive learning projects using mobile, AR and sims. Dr. Metcalf encourages spinoffs from the lab as part of the innovation process and has launched Merging Traffic and several other for-profit and nonprofit ventures as examples. In addition to research and commercial investments, he supports social entrepreneurship in education and health. Dr. Metcalf continues to bridge the gap between corporate learning and simulation techniques and non-profit and social entrepreneurship. Dr. Metcalf frequently presents at industry and research events shaping business strategy and use of technology to improve learning, health and human performance.
Panel: AI Hardcoded Bias: UX, AI, and the Human Cost of Design
The future is adaptive, but not always equitable. This panel examines how algorithmic systems in healthcare, education, and the workplace often reinforce gendered assumptions, quietly shaping who benefits, who is seen, and who is left out.
Drawing on perspectives from learning design, technology, and behavioral science, panelists explore how gamification, AI-driven personalization, and behavior design can be used intentionally to challenge bias rather than encode it. The discussion focuses on practical choices designers and leaders can make to surface assumptions, test for unintended impact, and build systems that support inclusion instead of narrowing opportunity.
Takeaway: Adaptive systems shape behavior. Inclusive systems shape possibility.
