Google Claps Back: Guided Learning in Gemini | Ep. 71
ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast
Defending the Em Dash
Liz reads a humorous McSweeney's piece defending the em dash and they discuss style and AI writing quirks.
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In this episode of ChatEDU (Google Claps Back: Guided Learning in Gemini), Matt and Liz open with a whirlwind of AI developments. They share impressions of GPT-5’s quirks and memory mishaps, read a defense of the m dash, and react to the self-loathing loop from Google’s Gemini model. They also tackle AI’s limits, laugh at edible lamp business plans, and break down why threatening a chatbot won’t make it smarter.
Story #1: Rundown – GPT-5, Essay Bans, Mental Health Rules, ChatGPT Tune-Ups, AI Predictions, and a Billion Dollar Retreat
This week’s rundown includes GPT-5’s shaky rollout, a top New York high school banning summer essays to prevent ChatGPT cheating, Illinois becoming the first state to prohibit AI-led mental health therapy, and South Korea ending its national AI textbook program. They cover OpenAI’s “What we’re optimizing ChatGPT for” update, aimed at making the chatbot better at detecting distress and less likely to give overly agreeable answers, plus a study showing large language models can predict educational and psychological outcomes from childhood essays with remarkable accuracy. The segment wraps with Google’s launch of Genie 3, a text-to-3D world model that creates interactive scenes on the fly.
Story #2: Common Sense Media Assesses AI Teacher Tools
Common Sense Media’s latest AI Risk Assessment examines teacher-facing tools like Google Classroom, MagicSchool, Khanmigo, and Kiip. The report gives these platforms a moderate risk rating, noting that they perform best when built on high-quality instructional materials and teacher oversight. Risks include bias, inaccurate content, and reduced curricular coherence. Matt and Liz discuss why novice teachers may be especially vulnerable to over-reliance.
Story #3 (Beneath the Surface): Guided Learning from Google
Just days after OpenAI launched Study Mode, Google responded with Guided Learning inside the Gemini app. Matt and Liz test it live, exploring its math support, quiz generator, and visual explanations. They highlight new education-focused announcements from Google, including one year of free Gemini Pro access for college students, a billion-dollar AI education initiative, and a storybook builder that turns photos into narrated adventures.
Announcements
- Email Matt and Liz at chatedu@edadvance.org for info on their new Student-Facing AI Literacy Course
- Register for the Fall Micro-Credential (starts October) – skills21.org/ai/micro
- Get details on the EdAdvance AI in Education Conference & PL Series – edadvance.org/ai-conference
Links and References (as mentioned in the show)
McSweeney’s “The M Dash Responds to the AI Allegations”
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-em-dash-responds-to-the-ai-allegations
Business Insider on Gemini’s Self-Loathing Bug
https://www.businessinsider.com/gemini-self-loathing-i-am-a-failure-comments-google-fix-2025-8
Common Sense Media Teacher AI Assistant Risk Report
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ai-ratings/ai-teacher-assistants?gate=commsdistributionlink
Stanford EdTech AI Study (SchoolAI Usage)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-k-12-educators-actually-engaging-vsgme/
Google Guided Learning Blog Post – Explore Guided Learning
https://blog.google/products/gemini/storybooks/
Dan Fitzpatrick’s Google Edu Updates on Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danfitzpatrick/2025/08/06/google-takes-aim-at-chatgpt-study-mode-with-major-gemini-updates/
Sponsor
This episode is supported by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, helping students and educators build workforce-ready skills through innovation.
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