About
Karl Hartley
AI Researcher & Vocational Education Specialist
I've spent 20+ years in learning and development, working across telecommunications (Telecom NZ/Spark), industry training (Competenz), and educational technology consulting. These days my focus is AI-generated assessments for vocational education.
As Technical Lead for the ConCOVE Tūhura project, I ran New Zealand's largest research study on AI-generated assessments. We tested whether AI could produce assessments that meet national moderation standards. The short answer: yes, but only with the right methodology.
That methodology — synthetic personas for personalisation, structured validation, human oversight at each stage — is what I call 'human-over-the-loop'. It's the foundation of what Hotloop.ai does.
I also founded Epic Learning, a vocational education development company, and I'm affiliated with ConCOVE Tūhura as a researcher. I'm Ngāti Porou.
Based in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), New Zealand
karlhartley.com
LinkedInHumans Over The Loop
Most AI conversations focus on 'human in the loop' — people reviewing AI outputs before they go live. That's necessary. It's not enough.
'Human-over-the-loop' is different. It means humans design the systems, set the boundaries, define what success looks like, and keep the authority to change direction. AI does the repetitive generation work. People make the decisions that matter.
In assessment, this plays out in practical ways. Assessors make final competency judgments — AI generates materials and guidance, but qualified humans decide if learners are competent. Subject matter experts define quality standards — AI learns from human expertise, it doesn't replace the need for it. Training organisations retain control — AI operates within frameworks they set, not the other way around.
This isn't about limiting what AI can do. It's about deploying AI in ways that build trust, maintain accountability, and respect the humans who use these systems.
Background
A few highlights from the career path that led here:
ConCOVE Tūhura (2024–2025) — Technical Lead for NZ's largest study on AI-generated assessments. Developed the synthetic persona methodology and ethical framework. The 114-page peer-reviewed report is now published.
Te Pūkenga & Competenz (2022–2024) — Led digital transformation of TVET standards. Modernised 135+ unit standards in Mechanical Engineering. Deployed digital assessment systems for national industry training organisations.
Epic Learning — Founded a vocational education development company. Delivered assessment development projects including 90 assessments across 90 unit standards for the print industry — the largest single project of its type in NZ.
Earlier — Telecommunications sector (Telecom NZ/Spark), industry training, educational technology consulting. The cross-sector experience shapes how I approach AI implementation in complex organisational contexts.
Get in Touch
Whether you're exploring AI for assessment, developing policy, or planning research — I'd welcome the conversation.