In this episode of Future of UX, I’m joined by Julian Della Mattia, Senior User Insights Manager at DuckDuckGo.

I first came across Julian through his conference talk on synthetic users, and it immediately stood out. Not because it was hyped, but because it was thoughtful, critical, and refreshingly honest. At a time when AI research tools are popping up everywhere, Julian brings a grounded perspective on what actually helps, what quietly misleads teams, and why judgment still matters more than speed.

In this conversation, we talk about:

What synthetic users really are and what they’re not
Where AI-generated users can be useful and where they become risky
Why “plausible” answers are often more dangerous than wrong ones
AI-moderated interviews and what they do well (and badly)
Bias, validation, and responsibility in AI-supported research
How the role of UX researchers is shifting from execution to orchestration

This episode isn’t about replacing research with AI.
It’s about learning how to use AI as a tool without losing context, empathy, or decision quality.

If you work in UX, research, or product, and you’re trying to make sense of how AI is changing research practice right now, this episode will give you a much clearer mental model.