The AI Firehose - End of Year News and Updates

Join Matt and Liz in this episode of ChatEDU as they explore critical AI developments. They dive into the potential of AI as a brutally honest mentor, discuss new tools like Google's Gemini 2.0 and Harvard's free AI dataset, and address serious concerns such as the rise of non-consensual intimate imagery in schools and the environmental costs of AI. They also unpack OpenAI's '12 Days of Shipmas' while reflecting on how AI impacts policy, literacy, and education.

00:00 Introduction and AI's Flattery

00:52 The Brutally Honest AI Mentor

01:38 Liz's Book Editing Challenge

02:15 ChatGPT's Tough Love

04:23 Reflections on AI's Impact

06:00 AI in Education: News and Updates

07:17 Deep Research, AI Literacy & Policy

14:25 Environmental Concerns of AI

16:55 Clean Energy Solutions for AI

18:55 Challenges in K-12 Schools

20:13 The Challenges of Preventative Education

21:05 A Troubling Lawsuit Against Character AI

22:00 Character AI's Controversial Influence

27:11 AI Literacy and Gen Z

31:21 The 12 Days of Shipmas by OpenAI

Prompt from Forbes:

You are now my brutally honest mentor who calls out my self-deception. Ask me what goal I'm struggling to achieve. After I respond, mercilessly point out the lies I'm telling myself. Challenge every excuse. Mock my weak justifications. Make me defend my position until I admit the real reason I'm not taking action. Don't let me off easy - keep pushing until I reach complete honesty about what's truly holding me back. Then help me create an action plan based on this new truth.

In this episode of ChatEDU, co-hosts Matt Mervis and Liz Radday dive into the evolving landscape of AI's capabilities and its implications on human tasks. They discuss the growing reliability of AI memory, and whether AI can offer surprising personal insights. The discussion touches on three recent studies, exploring AI's edge in medical diagnoses, neuroscience predictions, and the surprising preference for AI-generated poetry over classic literature. The episode raises questions about the future roles of humans in AI-integrated tasks, emphasizing the need for empathy and creativity. Additionally, it features an intriguing segment where AI mimics Shakespearean style to compose a sonnet about a recent football game. The show concludes with their popular 'ShortStack Chat Back', highlighting the interplay between AI and human creativity.

00:00 Introduction: Memory and AI

00:38 Chatting with ChatGPT

02:25 AI's Role in Memory and Productivity

04:33 Podcast Introduction and Episode Overview

05:25 AI in Medical Diagnosis

12:01 AI in Neuroscience

15:52 AI and Poetry

25:50 Implications for Teaching and Learning

30:18 ShortStack Chat Back: Isaac Asimov

New Micro-Credential Cohort Launching January 2024! Learn more and sign up at skills21.org/ai/micro.

In this episode of ChatEDU (Motion Rejected - The AI Cheating Case That Surprised Everyone - Including Us), Matt and Liz reflect on AI’s evolving role in schools and classrooms. They unpack two new studies on AI adoption among teachers, a timely toolkit from the U.S. Department of Education, and a controversial AI cheating case that’s testing the limits of academic integrity policies.

• They revisit the story of "Daisy," the AI modeled as a 90-year-old woman, and discuss a holographic AI Jesus confessional booth in Switzerland.

• Matt and Liz share updates on the ChatEDU AI Micro-Credential program and highlight the need for balance in all modes of AI professional learning.

1. Teacher Studies: AI Adoption and Skepticism

• Insights from new studies on how teachers are navigating the challenges and opportunities of AI in their classrooms.

• Matt and Liz explore the gap between teacher readiness and the demands of modern classrooms.

2. U.S. Department of Education AI Leadership Toolkit

• The DOE's latest guidance emphasizes privacy, ethical use, and practical implementation.

• Key takeaways include the need for AI planning teams, audits, and addressing algorithmic bias.

• Matt shares the challenges of balancing privacy risks with powerful tools like real-time translation.

3. Beneath the Surface: Motion Rejected – The Hingham AI Cheating Case

• A follow-up to last week's pre-recorded story: A federal court denied a preliminary injunction requested by the student’s family.

• New details emerge, including the student using Grammarly to generate inaccurate citations (e.g., books by “Jane Doe”).

• Matt and Liz discuss what this case teaches about the AI ethics and policy debate moving forward.

• Johnny Cochran (AI Edition) summarizes the Hingham AI case with wit and legal flair.

• Hingham Court Ruling: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/11/school-did-nothing-wrong-when-it-punished-student-for-using-ai-court-rules/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

• U.S. Department of Education AI Toolkit: https://blog.ed.gov/2024/10/new-ai-toolkit-to-empower-educational-leaders-on-safe-ethical-and-equitable-ai-integration/

• ChatEDU Micro-Credential Info: skills21.org/ai/micro

• New Micro-Credential Cohort Launching January 2024! Learn more and sign up at skills21.org/ai/micro.

This updated version reflects the correct episode title. Let me know if you need any more tweaks!

Getting StartedThe Big ThreeShort Stack Chat BackReferenced Links and ResourcesAnnouncements

In this NEW episode of ChatEDU (Google’s Learn About – Innovation Amid AI Turbulence), Matt and Liz explore Google’s new generative AI tool and its implications for education, content publishers, and AI-guided self-directed learning.

Getting Started:Matt and Liz reflect on their hiatus and the success of their recent AI in Education micro-credential launch. They also have a fun look at Daisy AI from 02. An AI tool designed to capture the time and attention of phone scammers.

The Big Three:

1. OpenAI’s A Student’s Guide to Writing with ChatGPT

2. • A comprehensive guide for ethical and productive use of ChatGPT in education.

   • Key features include automating citation formatting, research roadmaps, Socratic dialogue, and iterative feedback.

   • Matt and Liz debate its utility and timeliness, two years post-ChatGPT launch.

3. Leon Furze’s Take on Generative AI and Grading

4. • Furze argues against using AI for high-stakes grading due to inherent biases and variability in outputs.

   • Discussion of experiments showing racial and cultural biases in AI-assigned grades.

   • Emphasis on generative AI as a tool for formative feedback rather than summative assessment.

5. Google’s Learn About (Beneath the Surface)

6. • Launched against the backdrop of some troubling AI outputs from Google’s Gemini model.

   • A new AI tool focused on enhancing learning with interactive, visually engaging, and research-grounded content.

   • Features include vocab building, contextual explanations, and integrated resources like YouTube videos and articles.

   • Matt and Liz explore its potential for PIPs (Personal Interest Projects), capstones, and self-guided learning.

Short Stack Chat Back:Matt and Liz respond to a listener’s question about the ethics of teachers using AI for grading. They emphasize the importance of transparency, minimizing bias, and adhering to data privacy laws when integrating AI into assessment processes.

Announcements:

• Matt and Liz are launching a new cohort for their AI in K-12 Education Micro-Credential in January.

• Upcoming live appearances at AESA and the release of more exciting episodes this December.

Related Links:

• OpenAI's A Student’s Guide to Writing with ChatGPT: https://openai.com/chatgpt/use-cases/student-writing-guide/

• Leon Furze’s blog on AI and Grading: https://leonfurze.com/2024/05/27/dont-use-genai-to-grade-student-work/

• Google’s LearnAbout Experiment: https://learning.google.com/experiments/learn-about/signup

• AI in K-12 Micro-Credential Info: Skills21.org/ai/micro

• Diasy AI from o2: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekatz/2024/11/15/introducing-daisy-an-ai-granny-outwitting-scammers-one-call-at-a-time/

Have a question or comment? Email Matt and Liz at chatedu@edadvance.org

While Matt and Liz continue to roll out their AI micro-credential, ChatEDU is revisiting some episodes from our past lineup. In the coming weeks, we’ll continue to bring back listener favorites that sparked conversations and insights. If you’re new to ChatEDU, welcome! We hope these episodes offer you a great starting point. For our long-time listeners, it’s a chance to revisit an episode or check out other AI and education podcasts.

In this Encore Episode – A Talk with the Boss, Matt and Liz sit down with Jonathan Costa, the Executive Director of EdAdvance. They dive into a wide-ranging conversation that covers Jonathan’s journey from high school history teacher to agency leader. They discuss his unique perspective on the role of AI in education, from improving operational efficiencies to supporting schools in navigating the profound instructional changes AI brings. Jonathan explains his vision for AI’s role in reshaping school administration and explores how AI might impact everything from back-office functions to strategic educational planning. They also tackle challenging topics like how AI will influence job structures in education, the skills students truly need for future success, and why adaptive leadership is more critical than ever.

Expect new episodes later this fall, including a special new episode the day after Thanksgiving (in the US)! In the meantime, you can email us with questions at chatedu@edadvance.org. And if you’d like to learn more about the AI in K-12 education micro-credential, visit skills21.org/ai/micro. Thanks as always for tuning in!

While Matt and Liz continue rolling out their AI micro-credential, ChatEDU will be revisiting some of our past episodes. Over the next few weeks, we’ll bring back more listener favorites that sparked insightful discussions and questions. If you're new to ChatEDU, welcome! We hope these episodes offer a solid introduction. And for our loyal listeners, take this chance to revisit a past episode or check out other great AI and education podcasts.

In this Encore Episode – From Solo to System: Elevating AI Across Our Schools, Matt and Liz tackle the shift from individual to systemic use of AI in education. First up, they explore the heavy investments labs like Google DeepMind are making to reduce “hallucinations” in large language models. From there, it's a dash of AI images and then AI agency. Finally, Matt and Liz look at the wider potential for AI in schools, advocating for a focus not only on teacher training but on comprehensive school-wide AI integration. They unpack how institutions can scale AI to enhance curriculum, assessment, administration, and more, moving beyond isolated cases to cohesive, strategic use. And, as always, they close with a Short Stack Chat Back.

Expect new live episodes later this fall including a special episode the day after Thanksgiving (in the US)! In the meantime, you can email us with questions at chatedu@edadvance.org and if you'd like to learn more about the AI in K-12 education micro-credential, visit skills21.org/ai/micro. Thanks as always for tuning in!

While Matt and Liz are kicking off their new AI micro-credential course, we're taking a brief break from new ChatEDU episodes. During most of this month, we will be replaying some episodes that seem especially relevant or received lots of questions and comments. If you're new to ChatEDU, we hope you enjoy this recent trip down memory lane. If you're a long-time listener, feel free to have another listen, or kick back and enjoy one of the other amazing AI and education podcasts out there—or explore a whole new topic.

Now, in this Encore Episode - You Gotta See This, The Potential of AI Vision in Education, Matt and Liz dive into how AI vision can be used in and out of our classrooms. First, they'll share how much they don't know about AI dating, and then the duo will chart new territory about the future of prompting and interactive games...with a Star Trek throughline of course. Finally, they will wrap up with a Short Stack Chat Back! Oh, and there's a whole lotta talk about Inflection AI's Pi, which is now reborn in Microsoft's Co-Pilot App. Be sure to check it out! It's close, but not quite there on the voice.

Matt and Liz look forward to new live episodes in late fall, and as always, you can email us with any questions at chatedu@edadvance.org. Thanks!