Session 7.04
Tracks
Track 4
| Friday, June 19, 2026 |
| 1:55 PM - 2:55 PM |
| Sky Lounge |
Overview
From chatbots to phishing: engaging students with AI and cybersecurity
Details
This session is suitable for: All
Bring a laptop to this session – no specific software required.
Speaker
Dr Connor McLaughlin
Lecturer, School of Computer Science
Queensland University of Technology
From Chatbots to Phishing: Engaging Students with AI and Cybersecurity
Presentation description
Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are becoming increasingly important areas of digital technologies education, yet many teachers are seeking practical and classroom-ready ways to engage students with these topics. This interactive workshop introduces accessible, hands-on activities that support the teaching of core concepts in AI and cybersecurity for secondary classrooms. Participants will explore classroom approaches to topics such as how AI systems generate outputs, the risks of bias and misinformation, and key cybersecurity concepts including phishing, password practices, privacy, and digital safety. The session is designed to provide teachers with practical examples, adaptable learning activities, and strategies for fostering student critical thinking, ethical awareness, and digital capability.
Biography
Dr. Connor McLaughlin is a Lecturer in the School of Computer Science at QUT. He joined the school in 2025, bringing a decade of teaching experience across software development, machine learning/AI, and cybersecurity. His current teaching covers ethical hacking, machine learning fundamentals, secure software development, and information/network security. Connor completed his PhD in 2024, with a thesis focused on using machine learning to detect software vulnerabilities. His current research interests span software security, secure development practices, programming languages and program analysis, computer graphics, high-performance computing, and post-quantum cryptography.
Dimitri Perrin
Head of School, School of Computer Science
Queensland University of Technology
Co-presenter
Biography
A/Prof Dimitri Perrin is Head of School for the School of Computer Science at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), and Co-Director of the QUT Centre for Data Science.
His research interests span the areas of data science, artificial intelligence & machine learning, modelling, and computational biology & bioinformatics.
Recent projects include gene editing (CRISPR), artificial intelligence and machine learning in sports (rugby, baseball), generative AI in teaching and learning, and high-resolution biomedical imaging (CUBIC).