AI Education Podcast

In this special solo-hosted episode, Ray is joined by Dr. Mike Seymour from the University of Sydney, recorded live at the 2025 AI in Higher Education Symposium. You can find Mike through LinkedIn and the University of Sydney Mike shares captivating insights from his work in digital humans - lifelike AI avatars that can support learning, healthcare, and emotional wellbeing. From using VR to train veterinary students with virtual sheep, to exploring how emotionally intelligent digital tutors can transform how students ask questions, this episode dives deep into the practical, human-centered future of AI. Mike draws on his background in Hollywood visual effects and his current research to make a compelling case: AI isn't a single tool - it's a system, a landscape, a way to augment and extend human capability. The conversation ranges from the ethics of AI in healthcare to using AI for dubbing films, always returning to a central theme: how technology can support, not replace, people. And when you've listened to this podcast, jump across to Mike's two podcasts - the fxpodcast and thevfxshow - which both take you on a journey to Hollywood and visual effects There are so many resources that you can read to dive into this story further: Mike's fxguide25 website Motus Lab - researching AI Digital Humans Mike's portfolio on Vimeo Look at the timestamps on the videos - amazing videos from 5 years ago that we can now do in consumer apps, like this Mike vs Mike Test and the Pinscreen Test video - amazing that it's gone from bleeding edge to available in everyday consumer apps in half a decade! Whether you're an educator, technologist, or just curious about the future, this episode is packed with ideas that will stick with you.  

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Ray and Dan return from a short break with a packed roundup of AI developments across education and beyond. They discuss the online launch of the AEIOU interdisciplinary research hub that Dan attended, explore the promise and pitfalls of prompt engineering—including the idea of the “Uber prompt”—and share first impressions of the OpenAI Academy. Ray unpacks misleading headlines about Bill Gates “replacing teachers” with AI and instead spotlights the real message about AI tutors. They also dive into the 2027 AI forecast report, the emerging impact of the EU AI Act, and Microsoft's latest Work Trend Index, which introduces the idea of "agent bosses" in the AI-driven workplace. And then round off with Ben Williamson’s list of AI fails in education and a startling story of an AI radio presenter nobody realised was fake. Here's all the links so you too can fall down the AI news rabbithole 😊 AI in Education at Oxford University interdisciplinary research hub  https://aieou.web.ox.ac.uk/  OpenAI Academy https://academy.openai.com/home  Introduction to ChatGPT Edu: Your AI-Powered Academic Companion https://academy.openai.com/home/videos/introduction-to-chatgpt-edu-2025-03-20  AI for Academic Success: Research, Writing, and Studying Made Easier https://academy.openai.com/home/videos/ai-for-academic-success-research-writing-and-studying-made-easier-2025-03-20  Mastering Prompts: The Key to Getting What You Need from ChatGPT https://academy.openai.com/home/videos/mastering-prompts-the-key-to-getting-what-you-need-from-chatgptmastering-prompts-the-key-to-getting-what-you-need-from-chatgpt-2025-03-20  AI 2027 Forecast Report  https://ai-2027.com/  2025 EDUCAUSE Students and Technology Report: Shaping the Future of Higher Education Through Technology, Flexibility, and Well-Being https://library.educause.edu/resources/2025/4/2025-educause-students-and-technology-report  Melbourne & KPMG AI Sentiment Survey https://kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/2025/04/trust-in-ai-global-insights-2025.html  https://www.innovationaus.com/australians-the-most-pessimistic-in-the-world-on-ai/  Microsoft Work Trend Index 2025 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/2025-the-year-the-frontier-firm-is-born  Ben Williamson’s AI Fails in Education on LinkedIn This links to all the individual stories, so head to Ben's story, give it a like, and then click through to the warnings from the stories! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ben-williamson-7a501b329_top-ai-in-education-fails-so-far-millions-activity-7318038426270806016-pIzp  Australian Radio Network digitises diversity with an artificially generated Asian female presenter https://www.startupdaily.net/topic/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/eye-thy-with-my-ai-australian-radio-network-digitises-diversity-with-an-artificially-generated-asian-female-presenter 

In this engaging discussion, Minh Huynh, a key figure from the University of Sydney Education Innovation team, shares her journey from student to leader in AI integration for biology courses. Cory Dal Ponte, a learning designer and PhD researcher from the University of Melbourne, introduces innovative GPT-powered tools enhancing AI literacy. They explore the transformative role of learning designers in education, the blend of trust and collaboration necessary for AI adoption, and the exciting possibilities AI brings to course design and learner engagement.

This week, Dan and Ray dive into a whirlwind of AI news shaking up the education world. From $40K private schools with AI tutors to universities reporting chatbot-driven grade boosts, they unpack what’s hype and what’s happening. Plus, they explore the ethics of AI image generation, energy use in data centers, and whether GPT-4.5 is now officially more human than human. News Alpha School - AI school in Texas News report: https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-private-schools-use-ai-tutor-rockets-student-test-scores-top-2-country https://alpha.school/ Macquarie University students’ exam scores up by nearly 10 per cent thanks to new AI-powered chatbotMicrosoft case study: https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/2025/03/24/macquarie-university-students-exam-scores-up-by-nearly-10-per-cent-thanks-to-new-ai-powered-chatbot/ Building an AI-Enabled Workforce: Impacts for Finance, Technology and Business Education and Training  https://www.futureskillsorganisation.com.au/building-an-ai-enabled-workforce-impacts-for-finance-technology-and-business-education-and-training The Future of Jobs Report 2025 from World Economic Forum  https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/digest/ OpenAI Academy https://academy.openai.com  Anthropic launched Claude for Education https://www.anthropic.com/news/introducing-claude-for-education  Open AI image generation announcement https://openai.com/index/introducing-4o-image-generation/    Report: Australia’s renewables can power AI and slash energy costs https://www.innovationaus.com/australias-renewables-can-power-ai-and-slash-energy-costs/  UTS Transdisciplinary Innovation course https://www.uts.edu.au/for-students/transdisciplinary-innovation  Research The Cybernetic Teammate: A Field Experiment on Generative AI Reshaping Teamwork and Expertise https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5188231  Large Language Models Pass the Turing Test https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.23674  News report: https://futurism.com/ai-model-turing-test 

Yet again, Dan and Ray are the podcast hosts, but Ray’s AI digital twin introduces the episode! This week's guests are: Lee Barrett – Prompt Engineer and AI Advocate at CEnet. Prem Radhakrishnan – AI Technical Manager at CEnet. This episode is a two-level deep dive into the development and deployment of CEchat, an AI-powered chatbot designed to reduce teacher workload and enhance student learning across Catholic schools in Australia. Part 1 of the episode covers the vision, pedagogy, and implementation strategy with both Lee and Prem. Part 2 is a more technical discussion between Dan and Prem, covering codebase customisation, infrastructure, scale, security, and integration. CEchat is an extended school-level implementation of Cogniti, the multi-award-winning open source chatbot from The University of Sydney. We interviewed Danny Liu about the project in this episode: https://aipodcast.education/the-university-of-sydneys-cogniti-ai-bot  They also discussed the Rome Call for AI Ethics, which you'll find here: https://www.romecall.org/  

News Stories Covered in the Episode AI Typing Like a Human? – Graham Clay’s LinkedIn post on ChatGPT Operator mimicking human keystrokes https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292163775963557888/ The Vatican on AI Ethics – “Antiqua et Nova” report on AI, human intelligence, and ethics in education Sacerdotus: Vatican's New Document on AI: Ethical Guidelines and Human Responsibility Australian Government’s AI Study – Treasury report on Microsoft 365 Copilot, estimating it pays for itself if it saves 13 minutes per week Treasury M365 Copilot review estimates 13-minute efficiency gain needed to justify licence cost - Software - iTnews California State University & AI – Providing 500,000 stuents access to ChatGPT Edu https://openai.com/index/openai-and-the-csu-system/ Estonia’s AI Strategy – National AI policy giving all students access to AI tutors https://openai.com/index/estonia-schools-and-chatgpt/ Australia’s New National AI Centre Director – ex-podcast co-host Lee Hicken appointed to lead the centre. For those keeping count, that's the second of the podcast hosts that's now at NAIC, with current hosts Dan & Ray still waiting for the call 😂 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7306940399086903296/ Manus AI Release – A new AI system focused on reasoning and conversation McKay Wrigley's X post Research Papers Discussed "From chalkboards to chatbots: Transforming learning in Nigeria, one prompt at a time" – World Bank blog on AI tutoring in Nigeria, claiming two years of learning gains in six weeks. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/From-chalkboards-to-chatbots-Transforming-learning-in-Nigeria   We discussed Ethan Mollick's LinkedIn post focusing on the multiple controlled experiments showing that students can be helped or harmed based on how they use AI “AI Meets the Classroom: When Does ChatGPT Harm Learning?” – Study on ChatGPT’s impact on learning; found that using AI without explanations led to weaker long-term retention. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2409.09047v1 “Generative AI Can Help Learning” – AI tutors improve test results but can hinder deeper learning if students rely too much on direct answers https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4895486 “Effective and Scalable Math Support: Experimental  Evidence on the Impact of an AI- Math Tutor in Ghana” – AI tutor via WhatsApp in Ghana increased learning by the equivalent of one extra school year at $5 per student https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2402/2402.09809.pdf “Generative AI in higher education: A global perspective of institutional adoption policies and guidelines” – Study on university AI policies worldwide; most encourage AI use but lack clarity on inclusivity and transparency https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X24001516

In this episode of AI in Education, Dan and Ray sit down with Leigh Williams, CIO of Brisbane Catholic Education, to dive into one of the most ambitious AI rollouts in Australian schools. With 78,000 students and 13,000 staff, Leigh and her team implemented Microsoft Copilot at scale—reducing teacher workloads by 9+ hours per week and even boosting teacher recruitment. But it’s not just about efficiency. Leigh shares how AI is reshaping learning, tackling the digital divide, and even reducing student stress. We also explore the ethics of AI in education, Brisbane Catholic Education’s commitment to the Vatican’s "Rome Call" for AI ethics, and why gender balance in AI leadership still has a long way to go. We also have a fascinating discussion about other ways that they are using technology to support learning, including FisherOne, their online school. Training resources Leigh talks extensively about the effort they have put into training and support for their teachers and students, and we wanted to share some of the Microsoft resources we know are useful if you're rolling out Copilot to your school: Microsoft Learn: Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot Microsoft Adopt: Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat resources for education

Dan and Ray welcome Graham Brown Martin, a seasoned expert in education technology, for a very(!) thought-provoking conversation about navigating education in the rapidly evolving age of artificial intelligence. In this episode: Discover Graham's journey through multiple technological revolutions—from early mainframes and pioneering laser-disc technology to modern-day AI. Hear stories from Graham's past, including his role in bringing together provocative figures like Katherine Birbalsingh and Malcolm McLaren to challenge the status quo in education. Reflect on the historical context of industrial revolutions and their ongoing influence on our current educational systems. Understand why Graham argues that education is still stuck in outdated 19th-century practices and how the pandemic reinforced rather than changed this dynamic. Explore why Graham believes relational skills, creativity, empathy, and human collaboration will define education and employment in the fifth industrial revolution. Graham's call to action? Shifting educational and economic models to prioritise human-centric skills and societal value.   Find out more about Graham on his website: GrahamBrownMartin.com Follow Graham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahambrownmartin/ 

Dr. Nici Sweaney, founder of "AI Her Way" and a champion for gender equality, shares her remarkable journey from butterfly ecology to AI consulting. She discusses the importance of ethical AI strategies in education, emphasizing AI literacy for educators and students. Nici highlights the impact of AI on equity, particularly regarding women's representation, and stresses the need for diverse voices in AI design. With a focus on Australia's unique challenges, she advocates for clear strategies to integrate AI in schools responsibly.

In this episode, Ray and Dan are joined by Danny Bielik, President of the Digital Education Council, to discuss the findings of a global AI faculty survey. With insights from 52 institutions across 28 countries, Danny shares how higher education faculty are adopting AI, the biggest concerns around academic integrity and assessment, and why AI literacy is still a challenge for many. Key topics include: 🔹 The real impact of AI on teaching and learning 🔹 How universities are using AI for teaching materials and admin 🔹 The debate on AI and job security for faculty 🔹 Why assessment and academic integrity need a rethink 🔹 How institutions can benchmark their AI strategies 📌 Links & Resources: 📄 Download the Global AI Faculty Survey Report 🌍 Learn more about the Digital Education Council 🔗 Follow Danny Bielik on LinkedIn