AI, UX, Dark Patterns, and the Lawless Frontier

Ever nudged a user just a little too hard? Slipped a “continue” button where the “cancel” should be? Congrats – you may have just invented a patent-pending, lawsuit-optional dark pattern. This talk dives into the wonderfully squishy grey zone where UX gets shady, ethics get blurry, and the law shows up three years late, waving a PDF.

Join Mark to unpacks why some of the internet’s most “innovative” designs are digital banana peels – carefully placed to make users trip, click, subscribe, and regret. And we’ll ask the fundamental questions: Is infinite scroll a war crime? Should “unsubscribe” be a national sport?

Next this talk reveals what happens when AI grabs your design tools and starts A/B testing its way into users’ brains. Welcome to the age of automated manipulation, where dark patterns evolve faster than regulators can Google them, and your “optimised” interface might just be gaslighting people at scale.

Finally you'll see how machine learning is used to fine-tune friction, personalise pressure, and automate nudges that know exactly when you’re tired, distracted, or just one click away from giving up. Spoiler: It’s not always the user making the choice.