Wizards: Opacity and new AI literacy

In this episode of ChatEDU (The Wizard Problem, Trust, Transparency and Teaching in the Age of AI), Matt and Liz start with a deepfake dress-up, a Saturday Night Fever–style keynote pose, and Google’s viral “Nano Banana”. They spotlight new Gemini features and predict moves in email, Outlook, and Google’s AI strategy. Then it’s a rapid rundown, a case for why AI won’t rival human intuition, and a dive into “wizard” agents.

Story #1: Rundown Roundup

AI Humanizers Flop: Lifehacker tests Paraphraser.io and others; most fail detectors. StealthWriter helped somewhat, but inconsistently.

Turnitin Strikes Back: New detectors catch AI writing and text rewritten by humanizers.

Gallup AI Survey: 98% of Americans know about AI, but only 8% feel “very knowledgeable.” Trust rises with use, but job fears persist.

Pew on AI: 53% think AI will hurt creativity; most want more control and worry about telling AI from humans.

OpenAI User Study: 700M use ChatGPT weekly; 10% of use is education-related. Younger users dominate; gender gap closed.

Anthropic Trends: Workplace AI adoption doubled since 2023; instructional material creation up 6x. Utah and D.C. lead.

Teen Plan: OpenAI adds age prediction, defaulting to under-18 mode when unsure. Parents get controls and alerts.

Altman Speaks: In a Tucker Carlson interview, OpenAI’s CEO says his fear isn’t doomsday but everyday misuse.

AI Textbooks: Google’s “Learn Your Way” tool personalizes reading and assessment, outperforming eBooks in early trials.

Story #2: Why AI Will Never Run the World

Matt and Liz unpack Angus Fletcher’s Primal Intelligence, which argues AI can’t replicate human “story thinking.” AI is strong in logic and prediction but weak in intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense. Liz frames literature as training for flexible thinking; Matt applies Fletcher’s ideas to front office triage. They explore how this divide affects education, leadership, and innovation.

Story #3 (Beneath the Surface): The Wizard Behind the Curtain

Ethan Mollick says AI acts like “wizards,” producing polished work with little transparency. Liz tests this by giving Claude and it outputs a McKinsey-style presentation with insights and formatting. But in Massachusetts, an AI glitch misgraded 1,400 student essays on the MCAS test. The lesson: with wizardry comes responsibility.

Bright Byte: Save the Orange!

Coca-Cola and MIT use generative AI to fight citrus greening, which threatens orange juice worldwide. By simulating disease spread and testing interventions virtually, they show how AI can tackle agricultural crises.

Announcements and Sponsors

Check out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at chatedu@edadvance.org

The Fall Micro-Credential is open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October -  skills21.org/ai/micro

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Explore their October 15–17 Summit in Rochester Hills, MI. www.nextgenmfg.org

EDIAThe AI-powered platform helping schools reduce absences and boost achievement. edia.app/contact

Links and References

Gemini Gem Sharing

https://tinyurl.com/k4ah3689

Google’s Learn Your Way

⁠https://tinyurl.com/3v6rd9td⁠

Lifehacker: AI Humanizers

https://tinyurl.com/4kv842bs

Turnitin Detection Update

https://tinyurl.com/3u2pxzz7

Gallup AI Study

https://tinyurl.com/kesa6xeh

Pew AI Report

https://tinyurl.com/mryp2dvc

OpenAI User Study

https://tinyurl.com/b82bs99k

Anthropic Economic Index⁠

https://tinyurl.com/37stk67h⁠

OpenAI Teen Safety Updates

https://tinyurl.com/5n7j5sfz⁠https://tinyurl.com/2cz87pvc

Sam Altman Interview

https://tinyurl.com/4sv68ps9

Angus Fletcher’s Primal Intelligence

https://tinyurl.com/2d9zujj6

Ethan Mollick: On Working with Wizards

https://tinyurl.com/4n59dhsn

Skills21 Prompt Review Tool

https://www.skills21.org/prompts

Common Sense Media AI Toolkit

https://tinyurl.com/5xet3e4t

Bright Byte: Save the Orange

https://tinyurl.com/4f6mxpm7