ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this episode of ChatEDU (AI Literacy is the Floor, Judgment is the Ceiling), Matt and Liz examine whether judgment tops AI literacy, touch on AI-packed Super Bowl ads, a satirical AI book, and “OpenClaw,” then dive into the news.

The Rundown

Time Studios and Darren Aronofsky have launched "On This Day," a high-fidelity AI-animated series bringing 1776 to life for the semi-quincentennial.

India has become Google’s largest AI test bed, shifting to a decentralized, teacher-driven model for 247 million students.

Google Classroom is adding built-in recording tools for multimedia feedback and student oral or code submissions.

Matt and Liz highlight NotebookLM’s “pencil” for custom slides and infographics as Gemini tests ChatGPT chat imports.

Unsealed court docs show Google plans to leverage its 80% school hardware share to lock in lifelong users.

The duo explores Genie 3, where descriptive "gamer language" is used to define physics, friction, and even the perspective of the poison in Hamlet.

The “Godfather of AI” backs Alpha School’s model: two hours of AI-driven mastery in the morning, freeing afternoons for workshops.

A University of Adelaide study finds AI tutors can spot math anxiety through typing, deletion, and hesitation patterns.

Matt and Liz argue the humanities are future-proof and showcase a Gem that analyzes student chats for the 4 C’s.

Why markets shed $300 billion in a week: fears that AI “vibe coding” could replace giants like Salesforce and Adobe.

NWEA has released a comprehensive directory of tools for formative assessment, from Kahoot to Edpuzzle, posing a challenge for future "vibe coders."

EdSafe warns schools about AI companions’ “artificial intimacy” and urges removing empathy-mimicking features from edtech bots.

Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz examine the “AI Paradox”: if AI handles entry-level work, how do leaders build judgment? They argue students need digital maturity, not just how to use AI, but when and why.

Bright Byte

NASA’s JPL used Claude to plan the first AI-driven Mars rover route, cutting Perseverance’s planning time in half across a 500,000-variable simulation with minimal human tweaks.

Announcements

Celebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
ASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠ 
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email [email protected] 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-balance⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

On This Day in 1776
https://tinyurl.com/bd45ufmf

India Scaling AI in Education
https://tinyurl.com/mr36r5ws

Record directly in Google Classroom
https://tinyurl.com/bdt9e4ta

Google adds Video Overviews
https://tinyurl.com/3bysbruw

Google Eases ChatGPT-to-Gemini Switch
https://tinyurl.com/3suv2ejm

Google Eyes Students as Future Users
https://tinyurl.com/24tbaehd

Prompting Smarter with Genie 3
https://tinyurl.com/48mmspcv

AI Pioneer Hails School’s AI Strategy
https://tinyurl.com/43ptthrp

AI That Reads Math Anxiety
https://tinyurl.com/mvjpszts

Why AI Makes the Liberal Arts Invaluable
https://tinyurl.com/3nsrcb2s

The SaaS-Pocalypse Has Begun.
https://tinyurl.com/mvmzarkb

75 Digital Tools for Formative Assessment
https://tinyurl.com/ye2yksc2

Entry-Level Jobs Need a Residency Model
https://tinyurl.com/mrdpcb2t

S.A.F.E. BY DESIGN
https://tinyurl.com/us6n2djs

AI Is Changing How We Build Judgment
https://tinyurl.com/2j7r5sbe

States Press On With AI School Rules
https://tinyurl.com/ytjk4fns

Teach Digital Maturity, Not Just Literacy
https://tinyurl.com/48hysc4v

Claude AI Takes the Wheel on Mars
https://tinyurl.com/murz85z4

In this ChatEDU Check-In: What U.S. schools can learn from how China is teaching students to work with AI, Matt explores What can US schools learn about AI education from their Chinese counterparts?. The episode examines the differences between China's centralized, infused approach to AI education and the fragmented landscape in the United States.

AI "infusion" over abstract literacy, focusing on collaborative use and human direction within core subjects.
Coordinated national strategy that aligns infrastructure, research, and workforce needs into a single operating system.
The pivotal role of U.S. states in establishing guardrails and designing large-scale implementation models suited to local values.

Matt’s Two Cents: The comparison isn’t about copying China’s system, but about recognizing the cost of moving slowly. When coordination is absent, momentum doesn’t disappear, it just fragments.

Article Link: https://tinyurl.com/38hss9va

Sponsored by: Eduaide.Ai Eduaide is an AI-powered workspace built by teachers, for teachers, featuring evaluators for grade-level appropriateness and classroom-ready graphic organizers. Take advantage of our special offer: 50% off an Eduaide subscription with checkout code ChatEDU at https://www.eduaide.ai.

Dartmouth College’s recently announced partnership with Anthropic has sparked a significant rift between the administration and faculty members involved in a historic class-action lawsuit. While the college aims to lead in institutional AI adoption, many professors view the collaboration with a company accused of mass copyright infringement as a fundamental breach of trust and shared governance.

Key Takeaways

Institutional Tension: The partnership with Anthropic positions Dartmouth as an early adopter of the Claude model, yet it has been met with fierce criticism from 130 faculty members whose books were allegedly used to train the AI without permission.

Litigation Context: Anthropic recently agreed to a landmark $1.5 billion settlement to resolve claims that it used pirated "shadow libraries" to train its models, an amount that a federal judge previously questioned as potentially insufficient given the scale of the infringement.

Governance Disputes: Faculty leaders argue that the administration failed to consult them until the decision was finalized, reducing their role to helping shape the public message rather than influencing the strategic direction of the partnership.

Technological Expansion: Beyond the controversy, Dartmouth continues to embed AI in campus life through initiatives like Evergreen, an AI wellness platform, and the exploration of developer tools like Claude Code that leverage vast datasets for agentic software generation.

The Bottom Line for Education

The Dartmouth case underscores the ethical dilemma schools face when the rapid pace of AI implementation clashes with the intellectual property rights of the very scholars who make up the institution. As colleges move to provide enterprise-level AI access, the tension between administrative efficiency and faculty trust will likely redefine how universities negotiate tech partnerships.

Article Link

https://tinyurl.com/yc2tn862

Sponsor

Eduaid.ai: AI Created For Teachers is an AI-powered teacher development platform built by teachers for teachers to help turn rough ideas into classroom-ready lessons. Visit eduaid.ai and use the discount code CHATEDU for 50 percent off.

Catch the ChatEDU every Friday with Matt Mervis and Dr. Elizabeth Reid and join us for Check-In episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In this episode of ChatEDU (Why Students Should Solve Real-World Problems, Not Just Learn About AI), Matt and Liz open with two weird AI stories that set the tone for a wide-ranging conversation about safety, policy, and purpose. From there, they move quickly through the week’s biggest headlines before closing with a powerful interview on why real-world problem solving is the most durable form of AI literacy.

The Run Down

A bipartisan Senate hearing raises alarms about student screen time, AI tools, and online safety. Lawmakers focus less on innovation and more on developmental impact, signaling a shift toward regulation and accountability in edtech.

New court documents suggest Meta leadership was aware of risks tied to sexualized chatbot interactions with minors. Matt and Liz connect the story to growing political backlash and questions of corporate responsibility.

Houston ISD announces new K–8 schools centered on AI, design thinking, accelerated learning, and whole-child development. Music, community service, and leadership skills are built into the model, though details are still emerging.

The UK government plans to provide AI tutoring support to up to 450,000 disadvantaged students by 2027. Designed with teachers, the tools aim to supplement classroom instruction and expand access to one-to-one support.

Denver Public Schools blocks student access to ChatGPT over safety and privacy concerns. Approved AI tools with stricter safeguards remain allowed, highlighting the rise of district-level AI governance.

A BBC analysis explores why people increasingly turn to chatbots for emotional support. Research suggests AI often appears more attentive and compassionate than humans, raising questions about listening, attention, and connection.

Beneath the Surface

Matt speaks with Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation, about why students learn AI best by solving real problems in their communities. Tara shares decades of evidence showing that project-based learning builds confidence, purpose, and true AI literacy. The conversation highlights Technovation’s free AI in Action curriculum and the power of mentorship and courage.

Bright Byte: AI as a Scientific Collaborator

OpenAI reports that over one million weekly users now use ChatGPT for advanced math and science research. From proofs to data analysis, AI is accelerating discovery across scientific fields.

Announcements

Celebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday
ASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠ 
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email [email protected] 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-balance⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

Technovation
⁠https://www.technovation.org/⁠

AI in Action Curriculum | Technovation 
⁠https://www.technovation.org/ai-in-action/

Alaska Student Arrested for Eating an AI Art
https://tinyurl.com/3nbsf38x

How an AI Schoolgirl Became a Far-Right Star
https://tinyurl.com/2rwc24xe

Senate’s Youth Tech Hearing: Signals for Education, Edtech, and AI Policy
https://tinyurl.com/54smc83d

Zuckerberg Rejected Teen AI “Off” Switch, Lawsuit Says
https://tinyurl.com/9jt85kym

HISD to Pilot AI-Focused K–8 Schools
https://tinyurl.com/4kau6rdb

AI Tools Could Help 450,000 Disadvantaged Pupils
https://tinyurl.com/fpw4mxsf

Colorado’s largest school district bans ChatGPT for students
https://tinyurl.com/bdfw8b9s

What AI can teach us about listening better
https://tinyurl.com/bdcez369

AI as a Scientific Collaborator
https://tinyurl.com/4pu6xyz8

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 Down

OpenAI’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 Surface

The 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.

Announcements

Celebrate our 100th episode: ⁠skills21.org/chatedu100⁠

Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

ASCD: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde652nn⁠
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77
Barnes and Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bdckf6zw

EdAdvance is offering a Middle and High School Student AI Literacy course — email [email protected] 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-balance⁠

This episode is sponsored by The National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing. ⁠https://www.nextgenmfg.org⁠

Links

OpenAI’s Sarah Friar on Squawk Box
https://tinyurl.com/h6jtz4bu

AI Job Losses to Hit Young Workers Most, IMF Warns
https://tinyurl.com/4a7hkbsx

Using Dungeons & Dragons to Test AI Limits
https://tinyurl.com/2eknyc95

Introducing OpenAI’s Education for Countries
https://tinyurl.com/bdhnz4aw

Anthropic, Google and Microsoft fight to win teachers
https://tinyurl.com/57ch2zre

AI in Schools Needs Teacher Buy-In
https://tinyurl.com/4fnv2f3b

Hoffman on Why Companies Are Getting AI Wrong
https://tinyurl.com/nuursbkw

Does AI save time? Executives say yes, employees say no.
https://tinyurl.com/2xxuntaa

Ed tech is profitable. It is also mostly useless
https://tinyurl.com/zbupby9e

Generative AI: Product Safety Standards
https://tinyurl.com/3z7rwtu5

Google Expands Gemini Features in Classroom
https://tinyurl.com/4fufr84b

The Leaders Turning AI Into Impact
https://tinyurl.com/yxn76mdd