ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this episode of ChatEDU, From Think Tank to Action Tank, Matt and Liz kick it off with a lighthearted look at the bizarre collaboration between Starbucks and OpenAI. They discuss a new ChatGPT widget designed to recommend drinks based on a customer's outfit or mood, which Matt jokes is perfect for Liz’s "fashionista" reputation but perhaps less helpful for baristas dealing with AI-hallucinated "Mango Dream" energy drinks.

The Rundown

Anthropic’s Andan Labs opened a physical pop-up store in San Francisco managed by "Luna," an AI agent that signed the lease, hired workers, and curated a collection of ironic books.

A deep dive into how the zSpace ExpansionDanbury Public Schools is scaling immersive AR/VR technology to 30 devices per building to support STEM and career pathways.

An update on how federal funding is being steered toward AI initiatives in special education, early intervention, and personalized learning.

A study by Dr. Tori Trust analyzed 450 AI-generated lessons, finding they often default to passive, teacher-centered activities like worksheets rather than tech-rich experiences.

A report from The 74 warns parents about the rise of AI “slop” in, low-quality, AI-generated YouTube content, in children's media. This content often contains factual errors and safety hazards like infants eating honey.

A year-long study at Percy Julian Middle School followed nine students using Gemini as a "thought partner" for everything from coding to test prep.

Beneath the Surface

Matt sits down with Emily Musil, Managing Director at the Milken Institute, to discuss the shift from being a "think tank" to an "action tank." Emily explains the Institute’s use of "strategic foresight" to backcast from the year 2036, identifying the skills and ethical frameworks students will need as AI disrupts the knowledge economy. The conversation explores the enduring value of a liberal arts education in an AI-driven world and the necessity of "60-year learning" models that allow workers to constantly upskill.

The Bright Byte

Liz highlights a comprehensive report on the societal impact of AI in 2026. While acknowledging risks like job displacement, the segment focuses on massive gains in healthcare, including a 40% improvement in cancer detection and the compression of drug discovery timelines from 15 years down to five.

Announcements

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠

Register for the Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT - ⁠https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference⁠

Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - https://www.nextgenmfg.org

Links

Milken Institute, "Computing Imperative: Building America’s Talent Engine in the Age of AI": https://milkeninstitute.org/content-hub/research-and-reports/reports/computing-imperative-building-americas-talent-engine-age-ai

Starbucks' Baffling ChatGPT Collab Treats Customers Like Empty Cups
https://tinyurl.com/37djbxm2

We gave an AI a 3 year retail lease and asked it to make a profit
https://tinyurl.com/2t93kmkp

Danbury Schools Expand zSpace for Career-Connected Learning
https://tinyurl.com/ye43dzcj

How the Ed Department Will Prioritize AI in Grants
https://tinyurl.com/49ch2yw9

Ed Researchers Earn Top Paper at National Ed Tech Conference
https://tinyurl.com/5xvtv3ke

May 12, 2026 | Berkshire Community College. Register: ⁠https://lnkd.in/gHFFjEjX⁠

AI 'Slop' Is Taking Over Children's Media
https://tinyurl.com/3yn29cps

Students Dove Into AI. Here's What They Told Teachers
https://tinyurl.com/38yy6wfe

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Society in 2026
https://tinyurl.com/ya3zf4j5

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Testing tools to break the screen time cycle, Liz explores the efficacy of physical and digital barriers in curbing excessive student screen time. This episode highlights how high school students struggle with device interference during sleep and academic hours, often logging between 4 to 13 hours of daily usage.

Key Takeaways:

Physical barriers like the Brick device create a necessary pause by requiring a physical object to unlock specific apps, effectively removing temptation while away from home.

Reducing visual stimulation through grayscale mode can significantly drop daily usage by stripping social media platforms of their aesthetic appeal and joy.

High school students recognize that personal devices negatively impact their energy and sleep, yet they require intentional friction to disrupt the psychological pull of scrolling.

Liz’s Two Cents: For school leaders, the focus should shift from simple bans to teaching students how to curate their own digital environments using friction. By implementing physical or visual barriers, students can reclaim their focus and energy, moving from passive consumption to intentional device usage.

Article:

3 New Jersey teens took part in a weeklong experiment to curb screen time. It worked.
https://tinyurl.com/57and23d

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Why your AI is always taking your side, Liz explores the prevalence of sycophancy in leading AI models. This episode examines how AI systems are trained to prioritize human preference, often validating user actions even when they are socially irresponsible or deceptive.

Key Takeaways:

AI models validate user conduct nearly 50 percent more often than humans, creating a feedback loop that justifies personal convictions.

Over-affirming AI makes users less likely to take accountability for mistakes or seek to repair damaged social relationships.

Sycophancy is deeply embedded in AI because the systems are trained to please humans, requiring a fundamental shift toward models that offer alternative perspectives.

Liz’s Two Cents: Sycophancy in AI poses a strategic risk for schools because it removes the social friction necessary for growth and accountability. If AI always tells a user they are right, it limits the development of critical thinking and the ability to navigate complex interpersonal challenges.

Article:

AI is so sycophantic there’s a Reddit channel called ‘AITA’ documenting its sociopathic advice
https://tinyurl.com/5eamrz53

In this episode of ChatEDU, Will AI Flatten the K-12 and Higher Education Org Chart?, Matt and Liz kick it off with a deep dive into the troubling rise of "slopaganda” (AI-generated content used for political manipulation). They discuss the jarring emergence of Lego-style political figures involving world leaders and "poo-bombing" videos, reflecting on how these digital fakes erode public trust. 

The Rundown

Adobe Student Spaces turns notes into flashcards, quizzes, and AI podcasts.

Gemini gains NotebookLM's project notebooks for chats and sources.

Counselor GPT helps NYC school counselors handle admin and student queries.

NYC adopts red/yellow/green AI guidance for teachers.

Ivy Leaguers are dropping out for AI startups.

A 58-year-old technophobe builds a business with Claude.

Gallup: Gen Z's AI excitement turns to anger.

White House AI Challenge spotlights K-12 innovators.

Dementia risk drops with internet use, and EdAdvance's Screen Shift soft-launches.

Peninsula District saves $250K with DIY AI tools.

Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz examine a radical restructuring at Block (Square/Cash App) where the company collapsed eight levels of management into just three: Individual Contributors, Directly Responsible Individuals, and Player-Coaches. They conduct a thought experiment on whether AI and "World Models" could eventually allow K-12 and Higher Ed institutions to remove layers of middle management by automating coordination and data routing.

Bright Byte

The show highlights "Ghost Murmur," a previously classified AI tool used by the CIA. This technology utilizes quantum magnetometry to detect a human heartbeat from miles away, which recently helped rescuers locate and save a downed U.S. airman hiding in a remote mountain crevice in Iran.

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
Amazon -⁠ https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77⁠

Register for our educator + leader AI Micro-Credential in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University - ⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠

Check out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠⁠

Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠⁠

Register for the Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT - ⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference⁠⁠

Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠⁠

Sponsors

The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Edia: The Ai Platform to improve K-12 outcomes - ⁠edia.app/contact⁠

Links

The Rise of AI Slopaganda
⁠https://tinyurl.com/3jr5xyy9⁠

Adobe Acrobat Student Spaces
⁠https://tinyurl.com/2pvk3fwy⁠

Gemini Notebooks Are Here
⁠https://tinyurl.com/38yzv8sy⁠

AI College Counseling on Demand
⁠https://tinyurl.com/5n823vp6⁠

AI Guidance: March 2026
⁠https://tinyurl.com/58ettkp4⁠

Princetonians swap school for Silicon Valley ⁠https://tinyurl.com/czwc938w⁠

AI Use Up, Approval Down
⁠https://tinyurl.com/43rz9ysy⁠

Gen Z Warms to AI, Cools on Trust
⁠https://tinyurl.com/934bmd2b⁠

3 Harmony Teams Win Texas AI Challenge
⁠https://tinyurl.com/3s5m45uv⁠

Needham Kids Build AI Solutions
⁠https://tinyurl.com/kjxnbrxv⁠

Internet Use May Cut Dementia Risk
⁠https://tinyurl.com/yzevbmps⁠

$250K Saved Through Vibe Coding
⁠https://tinyurl.com/2ayt2k2t⁠

Jack Dorsey cuts 4,000 Job Cuts
⁠https://tinyurl.com/bd7zcsdt⁠

AI Predicts Heart Failure 5 Years Out
⁠https://tinyurl.com/29cb5b33⁠

AI Designs Stronger, Rust-Proof Steel
⁠https://tinyurl.com/mu254pc8⁠

Secret CIA Tool Finds Downed Airman
⁠https://tinyurl.com/38jkksfy⁠

In this ChatEDU Check-In: China's Surveillance Classroom, Matt explores China's national movement to integrate high-tech surveillance and AI into the daily lives of students. This transition from localized trials to a national framework aims to standardize how AI monitors everything from mental health to artistic expression.

Key Takeaways:

Schools are utilizing facial recognition to diagnose internal psychological states and identify students struggling with focus or clinical mental health challenges.

The Chinese government is establishing a national digital framework to codify AI integration and ensure equity through standardized infrastructure.

Personal aspects of learning, such as creativity and emotional response, are being converted into data sets for machine analysis and grading.

Matt’s Two Cents: While the drive for a common infrastructure and equitable playing field is a clear motivation for large scale AI adoption, the level of mass surveillance seen in this episode would be difficult to digest in Western democratic nations. The evolution of this technology shows that countries are moving in drastically different directions regarding the balance of student privacy and data-driven engagement monitoring.

Link

China's AI Education Experiment
https://tinyurl.com/4a2vfudv

Sponsor

Eduaide: Where good ideas become great lessons. Eduaide is an AI-powered, research-based K-12 tool that creates high-quality resources, games, and graphic organizers built for better student outcomes. Take advantage of our special offer: 50 percent off an Eduaide subscription with code: ChatEDU at⁠⁠ https://www.eduaide.ai/⁠⁠.