AI in Education Podcast

This week delivered one of the biggest waves of AI news in recent memory - and Dan and Ray unpack what it all means for schools, universities and vocational education. From Microsoft's upcoming Copilot upgrades to Google's jaw-dropping Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro image model, the landscape for teachers shifted fast. They explore how these tools are already reshaping lesson design, image generation, student support and academic workflows - and why NotebookLM might quietly be the most important education tool Google has ever released. They also break down newly released case studies from the Australian Industry Group, discuss Claude's expansion through Azure, and look at how sectors like health, logistics and vocational training are adopting AI at speed. In the second half, the episode dives into three significant peer-reviewed research papers - including new evidence of gender bias in AI explanations, emerging AI-pedagogy frameworks, and fresh insights into how students actually use (and feel about) AI in their studies. News Microsoft Microsoft rolling more into the free version of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat https://www.theverge.com/news/822789/microsoft-copilot-chat-outlook-word-excel-powerpoint Microsoft and NVIDIA invest $15 billion in Anthropic - and Anthropic agree to buy $30B of Microsoft's Azure https://www.anthropic.com/news/microsoft-nvidia-anthropic-announce-strategic-partnerships Google Useful review of Gemini 3 by Ethan Mollick https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/three-years-from-gpt-3-to-gemini Examples of the infographics we created with Google's NotebookLM can be found on these two links: The podcast episode infographic from the Aaron Driver, of UNE, interview https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ai-in-education-podcast_aiineducation-notebooklm-podcast-activity-7398861734071083008-08GD The podcast series infographic from Series 14 "the Humans of AI" https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rayfleming_aiineducation-podcast-notebooklm-activity-7398515648089468928-vOUS NotebookLM announcements https://x.com/notebooklm/status/1989078069454270649?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q Google announce new Gemini certifications for education https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/gemini-certifications-education/ Cogniti 29 teachers sharing their stories about using AI with students https://cogniti.ai/2025-cogniti-mini-symposium-resources/ Anthropic Anthropic partners with Rwandan Government and ALX to bring AI education to hundreds of thousands of learners across Africa https://www.anthropic.com/news/rwandan-government-partnership-ai-education The London School of Economics has provided all students with access to Claude for Education https://www.lse.ac.uk/news/latest-news-from-lse/d-april/lse-partners-with-anthropic-to-shape-the-future-of-ai-in-education OpenAI OpenAI announce "ChatGPT for teachers" for US school teachers - and makes it free until the middle of 2027 https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-teachers/ https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12844995-chatgpt-for-teachers First ChatGPT Edu deployment in Australian Vocational Education https://connectweb.com.au/news.aspx?id=1038171&headline=nexted-launches-australias-first-chatgpt-edu-deployment-in-vocational-education Australian Industry Group Report: AI positive for companies, their people and Australian industry https://www.australianindustrygroup.com.au/news/reports/2025/artificial-intelligence-positive-for-companies-their-people-and-australian-industry/ Research Gender equity in GenAI science explanations https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-395/gender-equity-in-genai-science-explanations https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasaware-aiineducation-genderbias-activity-7394637681978212352-1UUB Bonus research mentioned: Sexist textbooks: Automated analysis of gender bias in 1,255 books from 34 countrieshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11463758/ A dialogic theoretical foundation for integrating generative AI into pedagogical design https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.70026 Time, emotions and moral judgements: how university students position GenAI within their study https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2025.2580616

In this episode, Ray sits down with Aaron Driver, Director of LabNext70 at the University of New England (UNE), a regional Australian university making one of the boldest moves in higher education: giving every staff member and every student access to a full enterprise AI platform. Aaron shares how UNE has built Madgwick, its white-labelled version of the SIMTheory AI platform, and why the university chose to go beyond standard tools like Copilot or ChatGPT for Education. With multi-model access, MCP connectors, and soon agentic capabilities, UNE staff have already created more than 3,000 AI assistants and reached an extraordinary 85% daily usage rate. The conversation dives into UNE's four big reasons for giving AI to all students - safety, job readiness, equity, and privacy - and how this move positions graduates for a job market where AI capability is no longer optional. Aaron also lifts the curtain on UNE's rapid cultural transformation, their sector-leading AI literacy programs, and the regional impact they hope to create by becoming Australia's most AI-enabled university. A fascinating look at a university rewriting the rulebook in real time. Bonus Links Aaron mentioned the SIMTheory Academy that his team runs, and recommended the free AI Quick Wins course for a good overview of what SIM Theory can do

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Ray and Dan wrap up Series 14 with a packed news and research roundup. They start with the tricky world of AI governance in education, where Ray explains how schools and universities can simplify their policies instead of writing 26 new ones. The conversation then turns to a Washington Post piece on the rise of new AI-driven jobs - from conversation designers to human-AI collaboration leads - and what this means for the future of work and capability-building. They also unpack new insights from cechat about how teachers are creating and using AI agents, explore Microsoft's AI Diffusion report, and look at La Trobe University's staff chatbot, "Troby." They discuss Google's education research, Claude's pilot in Icelandic schools, and the latest update from OpenAI, before closing with a fascinating study on how students respond differently to teacher versus AI feedback. Listen in for practical insights, fresh data, and a few laughs along the way. News As AI reshapes the job market, here are 16 roles it has created - Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/29/ai-new-jobs/ CENet analyses teacher created AI agents https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cenet---catholic-education-network_aiwithheart-catholicschools-catholiceducation-activity-7393528419411668992-nQc1 Microsoft AI Diffusion research https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/aiei/ai-diffusion/ Mustafa Suleyman - Human super intelligence https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/microsoft-launches-superintelligence-team-targeting-medical-diagnosis-to-start/ar-AA1PWmIO Microsoft will offer in-country data processing in Australia & UK for Microsoft 365 Copilot https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/11/04/microsoft-offers-in-country-data-processing-to-15-countries-to-strengthen-sovereign-controls-for-microsoft-365-copilot/ Case Study "La Trobe University supercharges academic productivity with AI and Copilot Studio" https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/guidance/case-studies/latrobe-supercharges New Google paper on AI and the future of learning https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/ai-and-learning/ Iceland goes Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-and-iceland-announce-one-of-the-world-s-first-national-ai-education-pilots Open AI - ChatGPT's new personalities https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/openai-says-the-brand-new-gpt-51-is-warmer-and-has-more-personality-options/ar-AA1QjoBA Competitions for students to get involved in: CSIRO want you to predict pasture biomass from images - global https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/csiro-biomass United States Artificial Intelligence Institute Hackathon - US only https://www.usaii.org/ai-insights/usaii-kicks-off-the-ai-nextgen-challenge-2026-americas-largest-scholarship-program How confidential is your chat with AI? https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/12/australia-national-security-chief-ai-speech-writing/ Research Teacher, peer, or AI? Comparing effects of feedback sources in higher education https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266655732500059X

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, hosts Dan and Ray welcome Peta-Anne Toohey, Social Reciprocity Manager at Indigital, Australia's first Indigenous-owned digital training company. Together they explore how generative AI intersects with Indigenous knowledge systems, and why cultural safety, data sovereignty, and community-led design must be central to any tech or education initiative. Peta shares powerful stories from her work in Cape York, where communities are building digital skills on Country through augmented reality, drones, and caring-for-country technologies. She unpacks what it means to create culturally safe technologies, how free, prior and informed consent should shape AI use, and why decolonising how we think about technology is essential for equity in education. It's a fascinating discussion on how AI can empower, or endanger, Indigenous communities, and what educators and universities can learn from truly collaborative design. Find Peta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-anne-toohey/ Links - Organisations, people and projects mentioned InDigital - https://www.indigital.net.au/ Local Contexts - https://localcontexts.org/ Terri Janke - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Janke Google's Indigenous Language Projects Google and language researchers team up to teach AI Aboriginal English https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/google-and-researchers-are-teaching-ai-aboriginal-english/1uuqtjkf8 Woolaroo: a new tool for exploring indigenous languages https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/woolaroo-new-tool-exploring-indigenous-languages/ Microsoft's Indigenous AI Projects Modis delivers first-of-its-kind Aboriginal language app to help break down communication barriers https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/modis-delivers-first-of-its-kind-aboriginal-language-app-to-help-break-down-communication-barriers/ AI technology helps protect sea turtle nests from feral pigs in north Queensland https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-18/turtle-feral-pig-threat-artificial-intelligence-science/13162536 AI transforms Kakadu management https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/ai-transforms-kakadu-management/

Inside the AI Classroom: Dan & Ray's Big AI-in-Education Download In this fast-paced news roundup, Dan and Ray dive head-first into the latest research and developments shaping AI in education. From MIT's Perspectives for the Perplexed guide for schools, to McKinsey's take on "agentic AI," to Google's LearnLM experiments with AI-powered textbooks, the duo unpack what every educator needs to know right now. They explore what's happening inside classrooms, universities, and edtech labs — including new findings on AI literacy, evolving assessment design, and why "policing AI use" misses the point. Plus, they debate the rise of AI-integrated browsers like ChatGPT Atlas, what it means for assessment integrity, and how tools like Microsoft Copilot are reshaping both teaching and admin work. It's the ultimate AI-in-education briefing — thoughtful, fast, and full of insights (and laughs) from two of the field's most passionate voices. Here's all the links to news and research mentioned in the podcast (and, most importantly) the Two Ronnies Fork Handles sketch! Fork Handles https://youtu.be/sO6EE1xTXmw?si=5Iix8Jo_xiZCRVCn News MIT "Guide to AI in Schools: Perspectives for the Perplexed" https://tsl.mit.edu/ai-guidebook/ https://tsl.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GuideToAIInSchools.pdf One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/one-year-of-agentic-ai-six-lessons-from-the-people-doing-the-work OpenAI Atlas (and Perplexity Comet) https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/ An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/an-opinionated-guide-to-using-ai Google "Learn Your Way" pilot https://learnyourway.withgoogle.com/ Towards an AI-Augmented Textbook https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13348 Experimentally Testing AI-Powered Content Transformations on Student Learning https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18664 PEW Research into AI attitudes around the world https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/10/15/how-people-around-the-world-view-ai/ Copilot in Windows https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2025/10/16/making-every-windows-11-pc-an-ai-pc/ Copilot consumer updates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4jXM8yTdnQ&feature=youtu.be M365 Copilot Education updates https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/blog/2025/10/designing-microsoft-365-copilot-to-empower-educators-students-and-staff/?msockid=0a3b30f5f88b6061226e245bf9b96140 BBC: The lecturers learning to spot AI misconduct https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kn3gn8vl9o UNE are rolling out their Madgwick AI system to all students https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aaronbdriver_aiineducation-highered-enterpriseai-activity-7378920493543845888-aZ3I Research The Bubble and Burner Model of AI-Infusion: A Framework for Teaching and Learning https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5501341 Firm or Fickle? Evaluating Large Language Models Consistency in Sequential Interactions https://aclanthology.org/2025.findings-acl.347/ GASLIGHTBENCH: Quantifying LLM Susceptibility to Social Prompting, https://openreview.net/forum?id=0BYRYwGCbK What does 'good teaching' mean in the AI age? https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/3649 How university students work on assessment tasks with generative artificial intelligence: matters of judgement https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2025.2570328 AI Knows Best? The Paradox Of Expertise, Ai-Reliance, And Performance In Educational Tutoring Decision-Making Tasks http://arxiv.org/pdf/2509.16772v1

Becoming More Human in the Age of AI at University What happens when AI knows everything - and humans must rediscover what makes us unique? In this episode, host Ray Fleming sits down with Carlo Iacono, University Librarian at Charles Sturt University, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping not just libraries, but the very identity of education itself. Carlo shares how librarians are helping students and academics navigate AI's rapid rise - guiding them to think critically, question deeply, and find their authentic voice in an age of infinite information. Together, they unpack how AI is pushing universities to move beyond expertise and towards empathy, collaboration, and humility, and why becoming "more human" may be the most important skill of all. Read Carlo's writing on Hybrid Horizons: Exploring Human–AI Collaboration https://hybridhorizons.substack.com/ Follow Carlo on Twitter https://x.com/carloiaconowork You may also find the Charles Sturt University Library website on Generative AI at University really useful https://libguides.csu.edu.au/generativeAI

In this week's episode of the AI and Education Podcast, Ray and Dan dive into one of the most chaotic – and entertaining – weeks in AI news so far. From councils losing millions to AI-powered scams to the idea of having a "family safe word," this one swings between hilarious and hair-raising. They unpack what's new in AI assessment research - including TEQSA's AI guidance for universities, the "wicked problem" of AI and assessment, and why Turnitin's detection tools are under fire (again). You'll hear how South Australia's EdChat report shows teachers and students deepening their learning with AI, and which countries are quietly leading the world in classroom AI use (spoiler: it's not who you think). Plus, a few surprise stats on politeness and prompt-writing - turns out being rude to AI might actually get better results. We've just arrived on YouTube and TikTok! YT Channel - the podcast in video form, and Shorts https://www.youtube.com/@aiineducationpodcast TikTok https://tiktok.com/@aipodcast.educati Links to news items discussed AI Safety https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-14/noosa-council-scam-mayor-blames-ai-imitation/105887962 Mike Tholfsen's Microsoft 365 Copilot Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOJliF-Cn4 South Australia's Edchat Insights Report https://www.education.sa.gov.au/docs/ict/edchat-insights-report.pdf Enacting assessment reform in a time of artificial intelligence https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/resources/corporate-publications/enacting-assessment-reform-time-artificial-intelligence And the link to 'Assessment reform for the age of artificial intelligence' - https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/resources/corporate-publications/assessment-reform-age-artificial-intelligence Syracuse University gives Claude Education to all students and staff https://news.syr.edu/2025/09/22/syracuse-university-among-first-universities-to-provide-campuswide-ai-access-to-anthropics-claude-for-education/ Jordan - the whole country, one man chat app for education https://x.com/cryptoprio/status/1974040334737846279?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q California Community Colleges also rolling out Nectir to staff and students https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/10/06/california-community-colleges-ai-nectir-tutors 2025 "State of AI" report https://www.stateof.ai/ Oxford University Press report on AI use by UK school students https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/secondary/Teaching_the_AI_Native_Generation.pdf?internal=true OECD's latest Teaching and Learning International Survey https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/results-from-talis-2024_90df6235-en.html University wrongly accuses students of using artificial intelligence to cheat https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/artificial-intelligence-cheating-australian-catholic-university/105863524 ACU's checklist for spotting AI written text: https://staff.acu.edu.au/our_university/news/2025/march/turnitin-ai-indicator-tool And in researching this, I also stumbled across the Wikipedia page "Signs of AI Writing" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing And that includes things like "LLMs overuse the rule of three - 'the good, the bad and the ugly'"; the use of Title Case; and our old friends em dashes and emojis. And if you really want to go down the rabbit hole, read the 'Talk' tab on that page, were people are discussing their own opinions/beliefs on this. Research The wicked problem of AI and assessment https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2025.2553340 Reimagining the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale: A refined framework for educational assessment https://open-publishing.org/journals/index.php/jutlp/article/view/1707 Assessment Twins: A Protocol for AI-Vulnerable Summative Assessment https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.02929 Heads we win, tails you lose: AI detectors in education. https://osf.io/preprints/edarxiv/93w6j_v1 What Does YouTube Advise Students About Bypassing AIText Detection Tools? A Pragmatic Analysis https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10805-025-09675-3? sharing_token=kzKMqOrKt2K7wqe8A4GjkPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4_QVVFXJUooOb6QsKcPKSMAsHQtQeY4Cum-OXBICfYzSVfT9TAv2Z95XVx8D3vm13plNOq1vh5iCbse0XidDrUCW182PR7BzDUTrlz7Gv1UGB5U-ao_gJKy9vc-WRHd_U%3D Mind Your Tone: Investigating How Prompt Politeness Affects LLM Accuracy https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04950

Dr. Rebecca Marrone, a lecturer and researcher from the University of South Australia, dives into the intersection of AI, creativity, and wellbeing in education. She discusses how AI can alleviate teacher burnout by enhancing autonomy and building literacy. The conversation highlights the dual-use potential of AI for wellbeing, while addressing ethical concerns like data privacy. Marrone critiques studies on creativity, shares insights on automating assessments of soft skills, and emphasizes the importance of teaching responsible AI use in schools to navigate its complexities.

This week, Dan and Ray bring a whirlwind of AI news, research, and reflection from across the education world. From South Australia and New South Wales announcing state-wide AI chatbot rollouts for schools, to Oxford University embracing ChatGPT Education for all staff and students, the scale of adoption is hard to ignore. The hosts explore what these bold moves mean for schools, universities, and the future of assessment. They highlight contrasts between Australia's rapid school-level deployments and the slower university approach, and compare these with global examples such as Arizona State University's 158,000-student rollout. The conversation doesn't stop at institutions. Ray and Dan unpack new releases from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google - including multi-model Copilot, parental controls in ChatGPT, and the startling realism of Sora 2 videos. They also reflect on recent surveys showing student demand for clearer AI guidance. Packed with insights, surprises, and a few laughs, this episode shows why AI in education is evolving faster than ever. Links and References News SA High Schools get EdChat for all students https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-15/education-chat-gpt-style-ai-app-to-roll-out-to-sa-high-schools/105772944 NSW EduChat for all staff and students in Years 5 to 12 in NSW government schools https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO7VOVNiAGA/?igsh=YzdlOHlvajFsMmMw ASU signs up for ChatGPT Edu for every staff member, researcher and student https://tech.asu.edu/features/asu-and-openai-expand-collaboration-scaling-ai UNSW signs Australia's biggest education deal with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT to staff https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/09/unsw-sydney-inks-australias-biggest-chatgpt-edu-deal-with-openai Oxford University in the UK just announced they'd do it for all staff and students https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09-19-oxford-becomes-first-uk-university-offer-chatgpt-edu-all-staff-and-students Google signs up 2 million students and staff via California Community Colleges https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/2025-ai-partnership-with-google Microsoft M365 Copilot Chat now free in Office apps https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-copilot-chat-in-microsoft-365-apps-676db5e8-9568-4bdb-bf0b-e207e29e056b Copilot now allows Claude/Anthropic models for Researcher & Agents https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/anthropic-joins-the-multi-model-lineup-in-microsoft-copilot-studio/ OpenAI launch parental controls for ChatGPT https://x.com/openai/status/1972604360204210600?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q OpenAI release Sora2 OpenAI on X: https://t.co/QHDxq6ubGt OpenAI Prompt Packs https://academy.openai.com/public/tags/prompt-packs-6849a0f98c613939acef841c Prompt Guides for education: K12 IT Managers https://academy.openai.com/public/blogs/k-12-prompt-pack-for-it-staff Faculty https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/higher-education-05x4z/resources/prompt-pack-for-faculty School administrators https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/higher-education-05x4z/resources/prompt-pack-for-administrators Google Homework Help story https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/09/18/google-homework-help-ai-cheating-schools-colleges/ Google is indexing ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive user data https://www.fastcompany.com/91376687/google-indexing-chatgpt-conversations IPSOS Education Monitor https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2025-08/Education_Monitor_AU_country_2025_v1.pdf You gov survey on UK student use of AI https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/52855-how-are-uk-students-really-using-ai Exam Hack AI https://examhackai.site/ Arden University students get AI detector shut down https://www.ardenstudents.org/news/article/6013/Turnitin-AI-Detector-Shut-it-down/ Research Prompt Injection Attacks on LLM Generated Reviews of Scientific Publications https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.10248v2 The Transparency Dilemma: How AI disclosure erodes trust https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597825000172

David Yip, a former Salesforce Director for Education in APAC and founder of alumly, discusses the crucial intersection of education and AI. He emphasizes the need to adapt educational models to integrate learning with earning, advocating for earn-while-you-learn initiatives. David highlights the importance of embedding inquiry skills in K-12 education and argues for bold reforms to scale educational impact. He also addresses the challenges of unpaid internships, promoting micro-internships to enhance real-world experience for students.