Joanna Montgomery, Founder, Little Riot Ltd

Joanna is an interaction designer, entrepreneur, and thought leader in human-centred technology. She is best known as the creator of Pillow Talk, the world’s first IoT product designed to help couples feel emotionally connected across distance. 

With over a decade of experience at the intersection of tech and intimacy, Joanna now advises companies on designing AI and digital products that prioritise empathy, trust, and human connection. 

Known for her honest, no-fluff approach, she speaks globally on the future of emotionally intelligent tech.

Talk Title: The Future of AI Is Human

While the tech world races to build smarter systems, we risk forgetting what all this intelligence is for. 
In this talk, Joanna argues that the future of AI doesn’t lie in raw power or automation - it lies in our ability to design for emotion, context, and connection. 
From emotionally intelligent interfaces to AI that supports real human relationships, this talk is a sharp, honest take on how we bring people - not just performance - back into the loop. Because the next frontier of AI isn’t artificial. It’s deeply, messily, brilliantly human.

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