Speaker: Mattias Rost (University of Gothenburg, SV)

Topic: Reclaiming the Computer Through LLM-Mediated Computing

Recording: TBD

Bio: Mattias Rost is Associate Professor of Interaction Design at the University of Gothenburg. He researches everyday technology use through designing, building, and studying interactive systems. Lately, he has turned his attention to large language models and how they might transform the way we interact with computers. His article on LLM-mediated computing was recently the cover story of ACM Interactions.

Abstract: Computers are amazingly capable, and I have always found them almost magical. Yet using them, they can be frustratingly narrow and restricted, reduced to apps, icons, and menus. For fifty years the desktop metaphor has shaped how we interact with computers, defining in advance what they can do. In this talk, I suggest that large language models open a chance to break free from this application-centered paradigm. By inferring intent and producing code on the fly, LLMs point toward a new way of using computers — one where possibilities emerge in interaction rather than being fixed beforehand. I call this LLM-mediated computing, and I will explore what it means for how we might reclaim the computer as a more open and powerful medium.