After starting with an existential crisis - "Are we basically doing the AI equivalent of a maths calculator podcast from the 1970s?" - in this news and research update, Dan and Ray unpack the latest developments in AI and education. Starting with China’s decision to shut down AI tools during national exams, they then revisit NSW’s EduChat chatbot, now in widespread use, with compelling data on time savings for teachers and learning benefits for students.
The hosts dive into fresh research from the LEGO Foundation and Microsoft, both highlighting how young students engage with generative AI—and the equity and creativity issues that come with it. They also tackle the viral MIT study suggesting AI could cause "cognitive debt" and discuss why such claims should be taken with academic caution.
Finally, Dan and Ray trace the recurring media fear that each new technology - from books to bicycles - has been accused of making us stupid. As always, they bring wit, warmth, and real insight into how AI is shaping education.
Links and references for the studies, news and research discussed:
News
China shuts down AI tools during nationwide college exams [Bloomberg, The Verge]
AI is in every NSW public school classroom. Is that a good thing?
Anthropic's copyright case with Claude
Research
Lego research into children's use of ChatGPT [Project website]
New Microsoft report on AI in Education announced at ISTE
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task [Project website - Natalie Kosmina's LinkedIn announcement post - Time news story]
And finally
For your enjoyment, Donald Clark's "Sisyphean nature of moral panics against new technology" aka What's making us dumb this time?
And if you want more enjoyment like Donald's article, then you'll love the Pessimists Archive on Twitter or their newsletter