Podcast Unwrapped: Our 2025 AI in Education Awards

Dec 11, 2025

The hosts celebrate 2025's highlights in AI and education, showcasing standout tools and interviews. They name NotebookLM as the AI Product of the Year and critique many underwhelming AI products. A pivotal research paper on AI detectors is praised for its relevance, while student voices and Indigenous perspectives take center stage. The year’s most-downloaded episode on learning designers takes them by surprise, leading to discussions on making AI more human. They round off with a playlist of essential listens for the holiday season.

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INSIGHT

Underdog Product That Actually Helps

NotebookLM stood out as a quietly powerful AI product for education use cases across K–12 and beyond.
Dan and Ray praised its ability to summarise transcripts and pull out complex ideas for teaching and learning.

ADVICE

Don't Add AI As A Gimmick

Avoid slapping 'AI' onto products that add negligible value or are gimmicks like 'AI water bottles'.
Prioritise genuine usefulness over marketing buzz to prevent user frustration and mistrust.

ANECDOTE

AI Tills Spark Real Frustration

Ray shared his frustration with supermarket AI tills that mis-handle bagging and item recognition, preferring human cashiers.
He values the social interaction and believes machines here reduce taxed wage jobs and community connection.

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In this special end-of-year episode, Ray and Dan unwrap the biggest moments, ideas, guests, and breakthroughs that shaped AI in education in 2025. From standout tools to unforgettable interviews, they look back at a year defined by rapid change, bold experimentation, and extraordinary people driving meaningful impact.

[If you want to see, rather than just hear, this episode, then come over and join us on YouTube at https://youtu.be/IhGwPPuWA4o - this episode is a visual treat with bonus Dad humour]

They reveal their AI Product of the Year (NotebookLM), the worst offenders in AI hype, and their most loved - and most hated - research papers. And then they revisit the year's most-downloaded episode, celebrate exceptional system-level leadership from Brisbane Catholic Education, and honour powerful student voices from Caitlin and the All Hallows' cohort. The awards extend to professional learning champions Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan, Indigenous perspectives with Peta-Anne Toohey, and reflective insights from Carlo Iacono on what it means to stay human in an AI-saturated world. Finally, Ray and Dan name their overall winners of 2025 - and map out the essential episodes to revisit over the holidays.

Full Awards list

AI in Education Product of the Year: Notebook LM
Research Paper of the Year: "Heads we win, tails you lose: AI Detectors in Education" from Mark A Bassett et al.
Most downloaded Episode of the Year: "Learning Designers Meet AI" with Minh Huynh & Cory Dal Ponte
K–12 Leadership & Vision Award: Leigh Williams and team at Brisbane Catholic Education
Best AI Professional Development Work: Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan
Award for "Voices Representing a Billion people": To the students we had in Series 12, especially Caitlin, and Abby, Abby, Miranda, Eloise, Charlotte, Annie
Most Nerve-Wracking Interview / Indigenous Voice Award: Peta-Anne Toohey
Making AI Human Award: Carlo Iacono
Researcher of the Year: Dr Anna Denejkina

Runners Up People not on the podcast this year, but who we feel have been influential in the AI in Education community

Community Leaders in AI & Education: Simone Kirsch & Julianne Peloche; Sarah Ratner & the A-I-E-O-U team
Education Leader Runner-Up of the Year: Jason Lodge

And finally, Winner of Winners

Dan's pick: Leigh Williams from Brisbane Catholic Education

Ray's pick: Students in general