AI in Education Podcast

This special live episode of the AI in Education Podcast was recorded at the CEnet Future:Forward Conference "Flourish 2026", where Dan and Ray explored one of the biggest questions facing education today: how do schools find the "happy middle" with AI?
The conversation dives into the shifting narrative around AI and jobs, the growing role of human agency in education, and why wellbeing, flourishing and trust must remain central as AI adoption accelerates. Along the way, they unpack new research on AI bias, AI detectors, cognitive debt, student safety, and the widening gap between individual innovation and organisational readiness.
The episode also reflects on keynote insights from Pasi Sahlberg and discussions around OECD flourishing metrics, parent engagement, and what schools can do now to bring entire communities along on the AI journey.
This is a thoughtful, practical and deeply human conversation about balancing opportunity, risk and responsibility in education's AI future.
Topics covered:
AI and the future of work
Human flourishing and wellbeing
AI bias in education
Safe AI use in schools
Parent and community engagement
AI detectors and academic integrity
The "happy middle" approach to technology adoption
Research Papers, and links to things we discussed
The changing tune of the AI leaders: The Jobs Apocalypse no more...
See these tweets for last year's story: Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, and Mustafa Suleyman
And this year's story: Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang
 
Microsoft's Work Trend Index report 2026
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/agents-human-agency-and-the-opportunity-for-every-organization 
Pasi Sahlberg
His website: https://pasisahlberg.com/ 
OECD research he discussed: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/dashboards/pisa-education-and-skills/digital-leisure-outside-school.html (the chart was from Figure 2.4 here)
Victoria Hedlund, the "AI Bias Girl'
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriamhedlund/ and on Substack at https://victoriahedlund.substack.com/
Her LinkedIn post that kicked off the SquashMallow test: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasgirl-biasaware-stem-activity-7454786540133584896-E64 
The retracted Nature research paper on AI in Education: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-04787-y
Think U Know: https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/

Inside Sydney's AI Hub: Building University Automation That Works
In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by Dan Hart, now leading the Automation and Innovation Hub at the University of Sydney.
Dan shares how the Hub has evolved from a robotic process automation team into a university-wide service using automation and AI to improve everyday work. With around 400 automated processes running across the university, the team helps staff remove repetitive, time-consuming tasks without taking away the human parts of their roles.
The conversation explores practical examples, including AI-powered invoice processing, and how generative AI is changing the software development lifecycle. Dan explains how tools like Cursor and AI-assisted coding are speeding up development, while also raising important questions about security, code quality, workload intensity, and developer wellbeing.
The episode also dives into vibe coding, what it means for enterprise systems, and why the future of software development may depend less on hand-writing code and more on communication, problem-solving, and understanding users.

We kick off Series 17 with a multi-interview episode!
Recorded live at the The Anglican Schools Corporation "Day of AI" in Western Sydney, this episode brings together three educators who are reshaping teaching, assessment and student learning in real classrooms with AI.
You'll hear from Maria Mertzanakis at Oran Park Anglican College on how teachers are building shared "Brains" in NotebookLM to save time, improve differentiation and support pedagogy, while reducing workload by more than 50 hours a week across staff workflows.
Nathan Jones from Marsden Park Anglican College shares how AI is opening new creative possibilities for students and teachers alike, and why schools needed to guide students toward using AI well rather than trying to ban it.
And Patrick Ell from Roseville College explores what happens in a "post-product world", where assessment can no longer rely on trust in the final submission alone. His focus? Designing learning experiences that value process, thinking and cognitive craft.
We had a lovely grounded, practical and optimistic conversation with these teachers, who are leading from the front as schools navigate the realities of AI in education. Really great to have been invited to attend and participate by Julian Ridden, the TASC Head of AI.

This week's episode explores a defining moment for education in the age of AI.
Fresh from a week of major events in Sydney, including the Microsoft AI Summit, Dan and Ray unpack the newly released Castlereagh Statement - a collaboration between 70+ education leaders calling for urgent change across schools, universities, and training systems. Their message is clear: education isn't ready for the speed and scale of AI disruption.
But that's only part of the story.
We're also seeing a growing pushback on technology in classrooms, with schools limiting screen time and universities questioning device use; while, at the same time, new AI-first models like AI-led tutoring and mastery-based learning are emerging rapidly.
Add to that a widening gap between what employers expect and what graduates can actually do with AI, plus billions being invested in infrastructure and skills, and it's clear: something has to change.
We also dive into the latest research on AI in teaching, from new peer learning models to rethinking assessment and feedback.
This episode connects the dots across policy, practice, and innovation.
Resources discussed this week
Castlereagh Statement
https://castlereagh.ai/
California schools introduce tech limits
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/22/los-angeles-school-district-screen-time
Yale considering banning all electronic devices
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/device-free-classrooms-mooted-yale-plan-rebuild-public-trust

Khan TED Institute announced
https://blog.khanacademy.org/introducing-the-khan-ted-institute-a-new-approach-to-higher-education/ 
https://khanted.org/Home 

LSI: The world's first AI-led university
https://lsi.ac.uk/

Pearson/AWS survey of employers re students
https://www.pearson.com/en-us/power-of-learning/ai-readiness.html

The Pedagogical Promptbook
https://edtechbooks.org/promptbook/
Microsoft's $25 billion AI in Australia announcement
https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/investing-in-australias-ai-future/
Harvard adds mandatory AI courses to English writing course
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2026/4/23/expository-writing-ai/
Research Papers
Think–Pair–Chatbot–Share: AI-Facilitated Peer Learning in Chemistry
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5c00438
Identifying what our students have learned: a framework for practical assessment validation
https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2026.2620053
Using generative artificial intelligence to reimagine feedback in higher education: a collaborative autoethnography
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2026.2653889#abstract

In this episode, we're joined by Dawn Knight, a sustainability lead and specialist support educator working with deaf students in a UK secondary school (Epsom and Ewell High School). Dawn shares how she's using AI in simple, practical ways to make learning more accessible - not just for students with additional needs, but for everyone in the classroom.
From generating transcripts and differentiated resources to using AI as a planning "checklist," Dawn explains how these tools are helping her save time and reinvest it where it matters most: supporting students directly.
The conversation explores how technology originally designed for accessibility - like captions and transcription - is now benefiting all learners, and why inclusive approaches to AI can unlock better outcomes across the board.
We also dive into the realities of AI adoption in schools: what works, what doesn't, and why starting small is often the best approach. Dawn offers a refreshingly grounded perspective, showing that you don't need to be a technical expert to make a real impact.
If you're looking for practical ways to use AI to support students and improve classroom experiences, this episode is full of ideas you can start using today.
This might also be the ideal episode to share with any colleagues who are at the beginning of their AI in teaching journey