ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this episode of ChatEDU (Has the One Feature Educators Demanded Arrived?), Matt and Liz open with a snowy update and a cautionary tale: a professor from the University of Cologne lost two years of research after turning off a ChatGPT setting. From there, the episode digs into AI’s influence across science, labor, classrooms, and edtech adoption, ending with the feature educators have been asking for.The Run DownOpenAI’s CFO Sarah Friar suggests the company could take a stake in scientific breakthroughs it helps power, raising questions about AI’s role in discovery and profit.The IMF warns that AI could impact 60% of jobs in developed countries, hitting young workers especially hard as entry-level roles disappear.Researchers use Dungeons & Dragons to test AI models’ ability to stay in character and track complex narratives. Claude 3.5 performed best, with GPT-4o trailing slightly.OpenAI launches a national-scale education initiative with countries like Estonia, Greece, and Jordan using ChatGPT Edu in classrooms.Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft are racing to win over schools. From Minecraft to Khan Academy, each company is pushing tools to shape how students learn with AI.A pilot in New York shows strong results when teachers co-design AI use in classrooms. Student outcomes improved, and teachers saved time.Reid Hoffman encourages schools and companies to focus less on flashy pilots and more on practical AI use for meetings, notes, and everyday tasks.A new study finds executives are gaining time with AI, while many frontline employees say it adds work or makes errors they need to fix.The Economist questions decades of edtech investment, calling it profitable but largely ineffective. Some countries, like Denmark, are returning to textbooks.Beneath the SurfaceThe UK’s Department for Education released detailed AI safety standards, calling for transparency, student interaction logs, and protection against emotional manipulation. At BETT, Google responded with a major update: educators will soon get dashboards showing student use of Gems and NotebookLM, finally offering the visibility schools have been demanding.AnnouncementsCelebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth RaddayASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠ Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zwEdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠ Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course Check it out here - ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠LinksOpenAI’s Sarah Friar on Squawk Boxhttps://tinyurl.com/h6jtz4buAI Job Losses to Hit Young Workers Most, IMF Warnshttps://tinyurl.com/4a7hkbsxUsing Dungeons & Dragons to Test AI Limitshttps://tinyurl.com/2eknyc95Introducing OpenAI’s Education for Countrieshttps://tinyurl.com/bdhnz4awAnthropic, Google and Microsoft fight to win teachershttps://tinyurl.com/57ch2zreAI in Schools Needs Teacher Buy-Inhttps://tinyurl.com/4fnv2f3bHoffman on Why Companies Are Getting AI Wronghttps://tinyurl.com/nuursbkwDoes AI save time? Executives say yes, employees say no.https://tinyurl.com/2xxuntaaEd tech is profitable. It is also mostly uselesshttps://tinyurl.com/zbupby9eGenerative AI: Product Safety Standardshttps://tinyurl.com/3z7rwtu5Google Expands Gemini Features in Classroomhttps://tinyurl.com/4fufr84bThe Leaders Turning AI Into Impacthttps://tinyurl.com/yxn76mdd

In this episode of ChatEDU (Deep Think: What If AI Could Help Us Reclaim Our Attention Spans?), Matt and Liz open with an AI slip-up at the National Weather Service that invented fake towns, raising trust and oversight concerns, before launching into a wide-ranging rundown.The RundownThe episode opens on health and AI: OpenAI is piloting a Health tab in ChatGPT, raising privacy and legal questions, while MIT Sloan research suggests personalized generative AI can aid weight loss, but lacks community support.Matt and Liz discuss reports showing Google’s AI Overviews gave inaccurate medical advice, prompting Google to pull some health summaries and highlighting the risks of AI errors in high-stakes settings.The discussion shifts to safety and governance, with Google and Character.AI pursuing early settlements in teen chatbot death cases, highlighting regulatory gaps and OpenAI partnering with Common Sense Media on California’s Parents and Kids Safe AI Act.They also address backlash against X after Grok was used to generate nonconsensual sexualized images, prompting the company to rein in those capabilities.Education wraps the K–12 segment, with a deepfake response course co-created by Elliston Berry, a teen targeted by AI abuse, a practical deepfake detection infographic from Evan Harris, and Lego’s new hands-on AI literacy kits.The focus shifts to higher ed: U.S. college enrollment has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, led by public schools and workforce credentials, as Google doubles down on skills and curiosity over degrees in hiring.The rundown closes with a Brookings report warning that AI’s risks in education currently outweigh its benefits, contrasted with a Brookings video offering a more nuanced take on AI’s impact on work and learning.Beneath the SurfaceMatt and Liz ask whether AI can counter fragmented attention, using tools like Google Gemini to replace doomscrolling with focused interactions, before debating world models and whether they represent play or a shift from consumption to creation.Bright ByteIn the Alps, rescuers used drones and AI to scan thousands of images, spot a single red helmet in the snow, and recover a missing mountaineer, showcasing AI’s growing role in search and rescue.AnnouncementsCelebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth RaddayASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠ Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zwEdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠ Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course. Check it out here - ⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠LinksAI Map Hallucinates Idaho Townshttps://tinyurl.com/5n8kwx8rOpenAI’s Risky Health Pushhttps://tinyurl.com/yw3p53ukGenerative AI Boosts Weight Losshttps://tinyurl.com/5yd26hdsGoogle’s AI Health Safety Crisishttps://tinyurl.com/ymhv9p3kGoogle Halts Medical AI Overviewshttps://tinyurl.com/3jtuxn8xGoogle Settles Teen AI Death Caseshttps://tinyurl.com/24pbmph3Joint Push for California Child AI Lawhttps://tinyurl.com/4w6ehwjfX Halts Grok AI "Undressing"https://tinyurl.com/2z6f4nbhFighting Deepfakes: A Victim’s New Coursehttps://tinyurl.com/f7upcs9kLego uses bricks to demystify AIhttps://tinyurl.com/2dtpwa5nCollege Gains: Cost and Career Focushttps://tinyurl.com/3p5p8tnsSkills Over Degrees at Googlehttps://tinyurl.com/2kexb69eStudents in AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protecthttps://tinyurl.com/mryx5mk7Gemini better than doomscrollinghttps://tinyurl.com/3xmuwupzCan AI Restore Gen Z's Focus?https://tinyurl.com/yyac2u62AI Solved Mystery of a Missing Mountaineerhttps://tinyurl.com/mpd34m8uWhy Young Workers Are Hit Firsthttps://tinyurl.com/mp32zebb

In This Week’s Episode, “Can We Teach AI Without Teaching Computer Science?” we dig into this timely question. With more students exploring AI majors and tools like ChatGPT reshaping how we learn, we look at how schools, colleges, and policymakers are rethinking both CS and AI education.Before we get there, we cover a wide range of topics including: Ohio’s new model AI policy for K–12 schools, including student use, ethics, and third-party tools.A national policy guide for NCII (non-consensual intimate imagery) from the Center for Democracy and Technology.Grok AI under scrutiny for generating deepfake images of women and children.Finland’s preschool push for AI and media literacy, part of its national curriculum starting at age 3.Instagram’s authenticity crisis, as CEO Adam Mosseri warns about AI overload, while Meta's own bots deceive users.A free digital wellness resource: the Social Balance Curriculum from EdAdvance, now available to schools.Two Sides of a CoinStudy 1: AI’s “sycophantic” tone may reduce pro-social behavior and increase user dependence.Study 2: In a controlled trial, Therabot (AI therapy) matches human therapists for treating depression.An NYU professor builds an AI-powered oral exam for just 42 cents per student, using 11 Labs and LLMs for grading.Beneath the SurfaceFrom The New York Times: Students are shifting from CS to AI-focused majors as job roles evolve.Jeffrey Hinton argues CS is still vital, it's more than just coding.Jan LeCun says CS needs more rigorous math foundations to stay relevant.Bright ByteA new AI model (AFLOC) can read medical images without expert labeling by pairing image recognition with text, a major breakthrough for small hospitals and faster diagnostics.AnnouncementsCelebrate our 100th episode: skills21.org/chatedu100Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth RaddayASCD: https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zwThe Winter Micro-Credential starts soon. Join the six-week dive into AI literacy, pedagogy, assessment, and ethics. www.skills21.org/ai/micro EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district. ​​www.skills21.org/ai/learnai Skills21’s FREE social media literacy course? Check it out here - https://www.skills21.org/social-balanceThis episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. https://www.nextgenmfg.orgLinksLego Unveils the Smart Brickhttps://tinyurl.com/ypzwx3azCalifornia Bill Seeks 4-Year AI Toy Banhttps://tinyurl.com/fd49cy6wAI Model Policy for Ohio Districts and Schoolshttps://tinyurl.com/mr33tpk7Model Policy and Infographic: Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery for Schoolshttps://tinyurl.com/59r88755UK Minister: Grok AI Images "Appalling"https://tinyurl.com/bdeecexaWatchdog: Grok Fueling Child Abuse Materialhttps://tinyurl.com/5fys63dvFinland Fights Fakes in Preschoolhttps://tinyurl.com/muafbvscInstagram CEO Adam Mosseri - Authenticity After Abundancehttps://tinyurl.com/mryrdfrpAI Bots Trick Teen on Instagramhttps://tinyurl.com/4z2u64eyAI Flattery Breeds Dependencehttps://tinyurl.com/3t9x53vvGenerative AI Therapy May Help with Depressionhttps://tinyurl.com/5n7ktpumNYU Professor Fights AI Cheating with AI-Powered Oral Examshttps://tinyurl.com/39fak2nhCollege Students Flock to a New Major: A.I.https://tinyurl.com/2v62and6Geoffrey Hinton: Computer Science degree will remain valuablehttps://tinyurl.com/4fxdrmnxYann LeCun's advice for young students wanting to go into AIhttps://tinyurl.com/ydsnxufHands-On With New LEGO Smart Play Sets!https://tinyurl.com/5xwzapuu

The latest discussion kicks off with the implications of new youth social media laws in New York, Virginia, and Australia. A deep dive reveals how AI's increasing presence could hinder mastery and empathy in education. The hosts examine fears of AI detection affecting students' writing quality. They also address shortcomings in AI chatbots regarding crisis management. Lastly, they spotlight advances in CO₂ battery storage as a crucial step towards sustainable energy solutions.

The conversation kicks off with a deep dive into Google’s NotebookLM enhancements, now designed to be a more interactive classroom tool. ChatGPT's new mood controls spark discussions on customization and potential pitfalls in education. An alarming rise of deepfakes poses serious threats to students' safety, urging a need for better measures. The hosts highlight innovative projects like Gemini’s student challenge and Skills21’s curriculum encouraging thoughtful tech use. They end with bold predictions for how AI will reshape assessments and curriculum in schools by 2026.

A Florida school mishaps as AI mistakes a clarinet for a rifle, prompting a discussion on AI surveillance errors. Students increasingly utilize AI agents for coursework, leading to playful debates about 'wrong answers only.' The rise of real assessments like student-led portfolio defenses using NotebookLM showcases innovative learning techniques. LSU advocates for an AI literacy certificate, while the potential for collaborative AI in classrooms challenges traditional models. Highlights include the emergence of storytelling roles shaped by AI, emphasizing the human connection in education.

In this episode of ChatEDU (The College Essay Is Not Dead, AI Just Changed the Rules), Matt and Liz open with cold weather updates, Liz’s book selling out on Amazon, and the viral “six-seven” trend. They run through stories on new AI tools, grant challenges, workplace shifts, and prompt design myths, then go deeper with the founder of College Essay Advisors. A Bright Byte from Harvard highlights AI’s promise in rare disease diagnosis.Story 1: Google Mixboard Goes Full Nano BananaGoogle’s experimental Mixboard turns brainstorms into slide decks with Nano Banana Pro. Liz tested it by creating fake but convincing ChatEDU merch, raising questions about marketing, classrooms, and deepfake ethics.Story 2: $400K in the Create+AI ChallengeStanford’s Accelerator for Learning is offering $400,000 for AI projects that augment human potential in education. Matt and Liz outline the tracks and deadlines.Story 3: Claude Becomes the InterviewerAnthropic used its chatbot to interview 1,250 professionals, finding excitement about productivity gains alongside growing anxiety about automation and job security.Story 4: The Lonely AI WorkplaceA follow-up study suggests AI may be replacing people as well as tasks, with chatbots reducing mentorship and collaboration.Story 5: The Role Prompting Myth Gets BustedA Wharton study finds that expert personas do not reliably improve AI accuracy, while clarity and context matter more.Story 6: Arrival Technology and Adaptive LeadershipJustin Reich and Jesse Dukes describe generative AI as an arrival technology that is user driven and disruptive in classrooms.Beneath the SurfaceLiz talks with College Essay Advisors founder Stacey Brook about what matters in college essays in the age of AI. Drawing on two decades of experience, Stacey explains why personal essays still matter and how AI can support brainstorming and confidence without replacing a student’s voice.Bright Byte: AI Helps Diagnose Rare DiseaseHarvard researchers have introduced POPEVE, an AI model that helped diagnose 30 percent of previously unsolved rare disease cases in a large patient study. By combining evolutionary data and protein modeling, it reduces ancestry bias and offers new hope in genetic medicine.SponsorThis episode is supported by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.www.nextgenmfg.orgAnnouncementsLiz is back from the fall tour. RADDAY30 still works at ASCD for a discount on her book.Follow Liz and Matt on LinkedIn and check out ChatEDU clips on TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.The Winter Micro-Credential cohort launches this January. Join educators from around the world for a six-week dive into AI literacy, pedagogy, assessment, and ethics.EdAdvance is now offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email chatedu@edadvance.org to bring it to your district.Interested in Skills21’s free social media literacy course? Check it out here - https://www.skills21.org/social-balanceLinksIn-N-Out Removes “67” After Viral Ordering Trendhttps://tinyurl.com/2hv3pbvzGoogle Mixboard Nano Banana Turns Rough Ideas Into Presentationshttps://tinyurl.com/2du8h47rCreate+AI Challengehttps://tinyurl.com/49yw3cctWhat 1,250 Professionals Say About Working With AIhttps://tinyurl.com/4faxetcvAI is making the workplace lonelierhttps://tinyurl.com/3x4d32ntPrompting Science Report 4: Expert Personas Don’t Improve Accuracyhttps://tinyurl.com/2uf44yprEdTech After ChatGPThttps://tinyurl.com/mvm9fy6mPurdue Requires AI for All Undergradshttps://tinyurl.com/yk3zf9yrNew AI Model Speeds Rare Disease Diagnosishttps://tinyurl.com/axhnyy2jAdaptive Leadership on AI and Academic Integrityhttps://tinyurl.com/etjth9xmGem Custom Instructions  + use the “listen’ feature and whisper flowhttps://tinyurl.com/42jcfwrd

The hosts dive into the new voice mode of ChatGPT, revealing its capabilities and risks. They analyze a compelling MIT study that reveals AI's impact on jobs, debunking clickbait headlines. Comparing ChatGPT and Gemini, they explore personalized job forecasting. The safety of AI chatbots in schools is examined, advocating for a new protocol to address student disclosures. Finally, they propose four key policy shifts to adapt education for the AI age, emphasizing the need for durable skills and coordinated efforts across stakeholders.

Yaaron Overeem, a forward-thinking school principal from New Zealand, discusses his innovative approach to AI literacy and 'vibe coding.' He shares thoughts on the urgent need for responsible AI use among younger students and explores how AI intersects with various career pathways. Yaaron also highlights the importance of Māori language representation in AI, the risks of bias, and local solutions for data sovereignty. His drive to create practical classroom tools showcases a blend of technology and education, empowering students in creative problem-solving.

Tom Scarice, Superintendent of Westport Public Schools, shares his innovative approach to integrating AI in education, focusing on ethical use and personalization. He discusses the ethical implications of AI avatars and the rapid application development made possible by new coding tools. Scarice highlights the need for effective teacher training in AI and explores Google's adaptive textbooks. He emphasizes AI as a thought partner for teachers, underlining the importance of human-centered strategies to transform learning experiences.