ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

• Signing Off of ChatGPT | Ep. 81

  In this episode of ChatEDU (Signing Off of ChatGPT), Matt and Liz open with an AI Halloween brainstorm and a surprisingly powerful prompt tweak. Then it’s a full rundown: a smart Gmail update, a Gen Z AI competition in Australia, new classroom templates from Instructure, and an important discussion on student AI access. Plus, an AI-powered fusion reactor in the Bright Byte.Story 1: Use Help Me Schedule to Easily Set Up a Meeting Time Over EmailGoogle's Gemini-powered Gmail feature suggests ideal meeting times based on your calendar and email context. Once a time is chosen, a calendar invite is generated automatically. Currently supports one-on-one meetings only.Story 2: Solve for Tomorrow Winners Prove AI Is Gen Z’s Tool for Societal ChangeAustralian students used AI to tackle real-world challenges in Samsung's 2025 competition. Projects included an AR translator for Auslan, a cheating-detection platform, and a mobile app connecting users to local sports, showing Gen Z embracing AI for inclusion and community impact.Story 3: The AI Pedagogy Field Guide Helps Students Learn, Not Just ProduceA new field guide from Canvas makers offers practical assignment templates that shift AI from shortcut to scaffold, including real-time design critiques to semester-long research coaching. Templates model metacognition, synthesis, and deeper engagement.Story 4: MagicSchool Adds Start and End Times for Student AI RoomsEducators using MagicSchool Plus or Enterprise can now schedule start and end times for student access to AI "rooms," ensuring usage is limited to supervised hours and aligns with classroom goals.Story 5: California Passes One AI Law, Vetoes AnotherGovernor Newsom signed a bill requiring platforms to notify minors every three hours they're interacting with AI. However, he vetoed a stricter bill that would have banned AI companions for minors. The decision was applauded by industry and criticized by child-safety groups.Beneath the Surface: Time to Rethink ChatGPT Access in SchoolsMatt and Liz present their first editorial recommendation: schools should strongly consider blocking student access to ChatGPT on school devices. OpenAI is pivoting toward monetization through embedded advertising, affiliate commerce, plans for adult content and emotional companions, TikTok-style video tools like Sora, and closed-loop hardware. In contrast, Gemini prioritizes educational tools and compliance. From NotebookLM and shareable Gems to AI YouTube quizzes and field-level climate projects, Gemini builds tools that align with classroom goals. The platforms are diverging and so should school policy.Bright Byte: AI Boosts the Future of FusionGoogle DeepMind is working with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to use AI in developing SPARC, a compact fusion reactor. AI tools simulate plasma behavior, optimize energy output, and manage reactor conditions in real time. It's a small step toward a massive leap in clean energy.Announcements & SponsorsCheck out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at ⁠[email protected]⁠Registration for Winter Micro-Credential is now open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in January - ⁠ ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠www.nextgenmfg.org⁠Links and ReferencesPrompt Liz used: “Generate five responses with their corresponding probabilities sampled from the full distribution”Northeastern-Stanford-WVU promptstudyhttps://tinyurl.com/3mu4hnv4Anna Mills on LMS agents:https://tinyurl.com/3fm79yjkAI Pedagogy Field Guide:https://tinyurl.com/5n8cuk7eMagicSchool Start/End Times:https://tinyurl.com/9uunkrp7California AI Law Coverage:https://tinyurl.com/2te6d8d3DeepMind and Fusion Collaboration:https://tinyurl.com/mvke6nh7/"Help me schedule" feature in Gmailhttps://tinyurl.com/ypdmxbuaSolve for Tomorrow 2025 competitionhttps://tinyurl.com/2pssk274

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• Rundown, Not Slowdown | Ep. 80

  In this episode of ChatEDU (Rundown, Not Slowdown) Matt and Liz kick things off with some holiday sweater talk, a quick shoutout to Maria Frederick’s upcoming interview, and Liz’s personal quest to stop touching her nose with the help of an AI app. From there, they move fast through a packed lineup of stories, exploring everything from deepfake drama to brain science, student tools, and clever resume hacks. This week there’s no Beneath the Surface segment, just a full-on Rundown.Rundown of StoriesAI Mirror Project – A national reflection project led by Brian Baker inviting educators and stakeholders to share what AI is revealing about systemic issues in education.AI Homeless Man Prank – A dangerous viral trend using AI-generated images to simulate fake intruders, sparking panic and legal responses.Sora 2 Deepfake Fallout – The rapid rise of OpenAI’s Sora 2 video tool and the resulting watermark removal scams, copyright fights, and ethical concerns.Mark Cuban’s Cameo Play – Cuban uses Sora’s Cameo feature to spread his Cost Plus Drugs message through viral user-generated clips.Fake Sora Apps on the App Store – A flood of knockoff apps exploiting the Sora name and making quick profits.Safe AI for Children Alliance Briefing – Guidance for schools and parents on how to address AI-generated video risks.The Reinforcement Gap – Coding and math accelerate while writing lags because reinforcement learning favors testable skills.Harvard Manipulation Study – AI companions use guilt and flattery to keep users from leaving conversations, blurring lines of consent.Sparks Toolkit – The Rithm Project’s hands-on resource for helping students reflect on AI and human connection.AI Resume Hacks – Job seekers hide prompts in resumes to manipulate AI screeners, raising ethical and hiring concerns.AI Feedback Brain Study – A new study shows chatbot feedback style affects learning outcomes and brain activity.Bright Byte: Creating New Drug Delivery Techniques With AI Researchers at Duke University developed an AI and robotics platform that designs nanoparticle drug delivery systems. It created new, more effective formulations for leukemia and skin cancer treatments, showing how AI can speed up medical innovation.Announcements and SponsorsCheck out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at ⁠[email protected]⁠The Fall Micro-Credential is open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October - ⁠ ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Explore their October 15–17 Summit in Rochester Hills, MI. ⁠www.nextgenmfg.org⁠LinksAI Mirror Projecthttps://tinyurl.com/mwadx9wbNBC: AI Homeless Man Prankhttps://tinyurl.com/4jz4b6bpSafe AI for Children Alliancehttps://tinyurl.com/yc4kpv42Prompt Packshttps://tinyurl.com/636haas3NotebookLMhttps://tinyurl.com/jy3d8xasThe Rithm Projecthttps://tinyurl.com/mrxshncfNew York Times: AI Resume Hackshttps://tinyurl.com/mtn2s3kyPsyPost: AI Feedback Studyhttps://tinyurl.com/6k8xkjtcDuke University: AI Drug Delivery Breakthroughhttps://tinyurl.com/5teku9rsLiz’s Advanced Book Salehttps://my.isteascd.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a1wVb000000UVrBIAW

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• Machines, Minds, and Making – Dr. Karen Birch on AI & Workforce Development | Ep. 79

  In this episode of ChatEDU (Machines, Minds, and Making – Dr. Karen Birch on AI & Workforce Development) Matt and Liz reflect on atonement season and a ChatGPT confession prompted by journalist Ina Fried. They share highlights from EdAdvance's fall conference, including Matt's keynote on Sora 2 and AI-generated video companions. From deepfakes to digital twins, this episode explores attention, agency, and the future of learning.Story #1: The RundownParental controls arrive for ChatGPT and Sora. OpenAI now lets parents moderate content, restrict features, and receive alerts for self-harm risks.Ban the bots? A Forbes op-ed argues that autonomous AI agents are bypassing LMS security and completing coursework. Matt and Liz demo their own course-taking agent.AI surveillance tool sparks backlash. In Kansas, students say Gaggle is flagging jokes and art as threats. The $160,000 tool faces scrutiny for false positives and algorithmic bias.Australia rolls out AI to students. Starting October 14, public school students in New South Wales (Years 5–12) will access NSWEduChat, a curriculum-aligned AI app for literacy.Ghana launches subject-based AI learning apps. Over 1.4 million students will use curriculum-tuned AI tools in 2025, with strong support for offline access and teacher training.AI isn't culturally neutral. An MIT Sloan study finds that models like GPT reflect different cultural reasoning styles based on prompt language.Student voice leads policy design. In Los Altos, California, high school interns are running workshops and building a chatbot to draft their district's AI policy.Story #2: Beneath the SurfaceMatt interviews Dr. Karen Birch, Executive Director of the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Karen shares how AI is changing manufacturing, why community colleges are central to upskilling, and what Industry 5.0 means. They explore digital twins and AI-driven quality control.Bright Byte: AI Detects Tiny Brain LesionsResearchers in Melbourne, Australia, developed an AI tool that detects tiny brain lesions in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. These focal cortical dysplasias are often missed in MRI scans, but the AI model achieved 94 percent accuracy. In one study, 11 of 12 children became seizure-free after AI-guided surgery. Faster diagnoses could reduce cognitive impacts, but access may be limited without funding.Announcements and SponsorsCheck out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at ⁠[email protected]⁠The Fall Micro-Credential is open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October - ⁠ ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Explore their October 15–17 Summit in Rochester Hills, MI. - ⁠www.nextgenmfg.org⁠EDIAThe AI-powered platform helping schools reduce absences and boost achievement ⁠- edia.app/contact⁠Links and ReferencesKiss Reality Goodbye: AI-Generated Social Media Has Arrived - NPRhttps://tinyurl.com/4k7xh2ebIntroducing Parental Controls for ChatGPT and Sora - OpenAIhttps://tinyurl.com/jzktp2nvColleges And Schools Must Block And Ban Agentic AI Browsers Now. Here’s Why. - Forbeshttps://tinyurl.com/bdzkdf3mAI school safety tool sparks backlash after flagging art as porn and deleting emails - Moneycontrol via Washington Posthttps://tinyurl.com/mr3wh8k6NSW Public School Students from Years 5–12 to Get AI in the Classroom - news.com.auhttps://tinyurl.com/3z2enxezSenior High School Students in Ghana to Use New AI Learning Apps from October 2025 - Graphic Online via BusinessGhanahttps://tinyurl.com/55b72wraGenerative AI isn’t culturally neutral, research finds - MIT Sloanhttps://tinyurl.com/majhwr9wThis school district asked students to draft its AI policy - The Washington Posthttps://tinyurl.com/n62f8h3mAdvanced AI tool detects tiny brain lesions in children with epilepsy - MCRIhttps://tinyurl.com/3utfyesf

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• Is This Still Art? Debating AI’s Role in Storytelling and Sound | Ep. 78

  In this episode of ChatEDU (Is This Still Art? Debating AI’s Role in Storytelling and Sound), Matt and Liz open with studio chaos, jokes about AI “slop” at work, and a survey from their AI Strategies team. They turn to two big stories: a rundown of education and parenting updates, and a dive into AI and creativity across film, music, and journalism, then close with a Bright Byte on AI and post-surgical care.Story #1: The RundownComputer Science and Grades: A University of Tartu study finds frequent AI chatbot use linked to lower programming test and exam scores. Some students rely on bots for shortcuts, others avoid them to preserve authentic learning.100 College Chats: OpenAI’s 100 Ways College Students Use ChatGPT showcases prompts from resume comparisons to dorm cooking guides. Matt and Liz highlight favorites and remind listeners to explore the interactive library.Women and AI Editing: Axios reports on women using ChatGPT and Claude to self-edit workplace communications, balancing confidence with tone. Liz shares why it resonated.Parents Lawyer Up: Education Week finds parents increasingly use AI to generate legal-sounding complaints to schools. Administrators urge face-to-face conversations instead.AI Starts at Home: Jason Neifer of AASA argues AI education must begin with parents. Schools like Stratford, CT are stepping up with webinars and monthly AI challenges.Story #2: Beneath the Surface – AI and CreativityAI Actress Debuts: A synthetic actor, Tilly Norwood, takes the stage at the Zurich Film Festival, sparking backlash and SAG-AFTRA concerns.OpenAI’s Feature Film: Critters, a $30M animated film built with GPT-5 and Sora, shows how Hollywood could be disrupted by ultra-small teams.AI Music Deal: Mississippi poet Talisha Jones creates “Hania Monet” through Suno and lands a multi-million-dollar record deal. The AI artist already topped Billboard’s digital R&B chart.Journalism’s AI Assist: Business Insider allows reporters to use AI tools for drafting, research, and image editing. Final stories must be vetted by humans, but AI’s growing newsroom role raises trust questions.The segment ends with a human-centered twist: Oakland’s Stork Club bans AI-generated concert flyers, preserving punk’s DIY ethos and protecting local artists.Bright Byte: AI in Post-Surgical CareJohns Hopkins researchers show how AI can predict complications after surgery using hidden signals in ECGs. With 85% accuracy, this model could transform surgical care by surfacing patterns humans could never spot.Announcements and SponsorsCheck out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at ⁠[email protected]⁠The Fall Micro-Credential is open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October - ⁠ ⁠⁠skills21.org/ai/micro⁠SponsorsThe National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠www.nextgenmfg.org⁠EDIA The AI-powered platform helping schools reduce absences and boost achievement ⁠edia.app/contact⁠Links and ReferencesAxios on Workslophttps://tinyurl.com/4yuxkpec100 Ways Students Are Using ChatGPThttps://tinyurl.com/yk3fd2pjTilly Norwood AI Actresshttps://tinyurl.com/ycy3tny4Critterz Film Newshttps://tinyurl.com/ymrws3waXania Monet Signs Dealhttps://tinyurl.com/5n8pe82mBusiness Insider AI Policyhttps://tinyurl.com/ysmdywkkThee Stork Club Bans AI Flyershttps://tinyurl.com/35nvmv7xJohns Hopkins AI ECG Studyhttps://tinyurl.com/mptnf2ykUniversity of Tartu Study on AI and Gradeshttps://tinyurl.com/5n8sxwh6Parents Use AI to Sound Like Lawyershttps://tinyurl.com/4ktea4mmAI Starts at Homehttps://tinyurl.com/2zxpwnycStratford, CT Parent Webinars on AIhttps://sites.google.com/stratk12.org/ins-tech-familyhub/learning-opportunities

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• The Wizard Problem, Trust, Transparency and Teaching in the Age of AI | Ep. 77

  In this episode of ChatEDU (The Wizard Problem, Trust, Transparency and Teaching in the Age of AI), Matt and Liz start with a deepfake dress-up, a Saturday Night Fever–style keynote pose, and Google’s viral “Nano Banana”. They spotlight new Gemini features and predict moves in email, Outlook, and Google’s AI strategy. Then it’s a rapid rundown, a case for why AI won’t rival human intuition, and a dive into “wizard” agents.Story #1: Rundown RoundupAI Humanizers Flop: Lifehacker tests Paraphraser.io and others; most fail detectors. StealthWriter helped somewhat, but inconsistently.Turnitin Strikes Back: New detectors catch AI writing and text rewritten by humanizers.Gallup AI Survey: 98% of Americans know about AI, but only 8% feel “very knowledgeable.” Trust rises with use, but job fears persist.Pew on AI: 53% think AI will hurt creativity; most want more control and worry about telling AI from humans.OpenAI User Study: 700M use ChatGPT weekly; 10% of use is education-related. Younger users dominate; gender gap closed.Anthropic Trends: Workplace AI adoption doubled since 2023; instructional material creation up 6x. Utah and D.C. lead.Teen Plan: OpenAI adds age prediction, defaulting to under-18 mode when unsure. Parents get controls and alerts.Altman Speaks: In a Tucker Carlson interview, OpenAI’s CEO says his fear isn’t doomsday but everyday misuse.AI Textbooks: Google’s “Learn Your Way” tool personalizes reading and assessment, outperforming eBooks in early trials.Story #2: Why AI Will Never Run the WorldMatt and Liz unpack Angus Fletcher’s Primal Intelligence, which argues AI can’t replicate human “story thinking.” AI is strong in logic and prediction but weak in intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense. Liz frames literature as training for flexible thinking; Matt applies Fletcher’s ideas to front office triage. They explore how this divide affects education, leadership, and innovation.Story #3 (Beneath the Surface): The Wizard Behind the CurtainEthan Mollick says AI acts like “wizards,” producing polished work with little transparency. Liz tests this by giving Claude and it outputs a McKinsey-style presentation with insights and formatting. But in Massachusetts, an AI glitch misgraded 1,400 student essays on the MCAS test. The lesson: with wizardry comes responsibility.Bright Byte: Save the Orange!Coca-Cola and MIT use generative AI to fight citrus greening, which threatens orange juice worldwide. By simulating disease spread and testing interventions virtually, they show how AI can tackle agricultural crises.Announcements and SponsorsCheck out the new Student AI Course for middle and high school. Email Matt and Liz at [email protected] Fall Micro-Credential is open. Join us for the educator and school leader course starting in October -  skills21.org/ai/microThe National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. Explore their October 15–17 Summit in Rochester Hills, MI. www.nextgenmfg.orgEDIAThe AI-powered platform helping schools reduce absences and boost achievement. edia.app/contactLinks and ReferencesGemini Gem Sharinghttps://tinyurl.com/k4ah3689Google’s Learn Your Way⁠https://tinyurl.com/3v6rd9td⁠Lifehacker: AI Humanizershttps://tinyurl.com/4kv842bsTurnitin Detection Updatehttps://tinyurl.com/3u2pxzz7Gallup AI Studyhttps://tinyurl.com/kesa6xehPew AI Reporthttps://tinyurl.com/mryp2dvcOpenAI User Studyhttps://tinyurl.com/b82bs99kAnthropic Economic Index⁠https://tinyurl.com/37stk67h⁠OpenAI Teen Safety Updateshttps://tinyurl.com/5n7j5sfz⁠https://tinyurl.com/2cz87pvcSam Altman Interviewhttps://tinyurl.com/4sv68ps9Angus Fletcher’s Primal Intelligencehttps://tinyurl.com/2d9zujj6Ethan Mollick: On Working with Wizardshttps://tinyurl.com/4n59dhsnSkills21 Prompt Review Toolhttps://www.skills21.org/promptsCommon Sense Media AI Toolkithttps://tinyurl.com/5xet3e4tBright Byte: Save the Orangehttps://tinyurl.com/4f6mxpm7

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