Have the EDU Agents Arrived? | Ep. 72

VOTE FOR MATT & LIZ (SXSW EDU)

Vote for Matt and Liz’s live ChatEDU session

⁠⁠https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1753650289710001LzZM⁠⁠

Vote for Liz’s Personal Interest Project session

⁠⁠https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1753465373604001edhO

In this episode of ChatEDU (Have the EDU Agents Arrived?), Matt and Liz open with GPT-5’s geography fail, a farewell to AOL dial-up, and reactions to the new ChatGPT personality. Then it’s onto a Rundown of five fast-moving stories from education and AI, a spotlight on Utah’s coordinated approach, and a deep dive into how AI agents are reshaping school operations. The Bright Byte takes us to space with Google and NASA’s new health assistant.

Story 1: Rundown

Colleges and AI: Economist Tyler Cowen says one-third of coursework should focus on AI use, limits, and interaction.

Miami-Dade Guidelines: The district plans formal teacher guidance after early Gemini pilots.

Future-Ready Skills: Arrun Kapoor calls for shifting from STEM to a balanced “THESIS” model including social sciences and creativity.

Equity in Rural AI: aiEDU launches a $1M grant program for underserved communities.

Teacher-Led Design: A study shows teachers build better AI tools when designing for classroom needs.

Story 2: Utah Gets Coordinated

Utah leads with a statewide AI specialist, embedded curriculum, paid teacher pilots, and strong infrastructure. Other states may take note.

Beneath the Surface

AI agents already manage walkthroughs, calendars, parent messages, and more. Matt and Liz explore what’s here, what’s next, and what districts should watch.

Bright Byte

A new AI-powered assistant may help astronauts treat issues when Earth is out of reach. Similar tools could soon serve rural and remote areas.

Links

AI Designs Computer Chips We Can’t Understand — But They Work Really Well

https://www.zmescience.com/science/ai-designs-chip-repubz/

AOL discontinues its dial-up internet, and we're just surprised they even offered it in 2025

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/aol-discontinues-its-dial-up-internet-and-were-just-surprised-they-even-offered-it-in-2025/

Colleges should teach how to use AI rather than skills a 'machine' can do better, a leading economist says

https://www.businessinsider.com/economist-tyler-cowen-college-students-trained-jobs-ai-work-2025-8

Miami-Dade Schools to Draft AI Classroom Guidelines

https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2025/08/12/miami-dade-public-schools-ai-guidelines-for-teachers

How AI Will Reshape K-12 and Higher Education for Future Readiness

https://www.informationweek.com/machine-learning-ai/how-ai-will-reshape-k-12-and-higher-education-for-future-readiness

aiEDU Program to Improve AI Literacy for Rural, Indigenous Students

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/aiedu-program-to-improve-ai-literacy-for-rural-indigenous-students

Want Teachers to Learn How to Use AI for Instruction? Let Them Design the Tools

https://www.edweek.org/technology/want-teachers-to-learn-how-to-use-ai-for-instruction-let-them-design-the-tools/2025/08#:~:text=Let%20Them%20Design%20the%20Tools,-By%20Sarah%20D&text=Teachers%20may%20benefit%20from%20hands,solve%20their%20classroom%20problems%20effectively.

Utah has emerged as a national leader in figuring out AI in K-12 education

https://www.kuer.org/education/2025-08-07/utah-has-emerged-as-a-national-leader-in-figuring-out-ai-in-k-12-education

How Google and NASA are testing AI for medical care in space

https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/public-sector/how-google-and-nasa-are-testing-ai-for-medical-care-in-space

Sponsor

This episode is supported by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.

Announcements

Vote for Matt and Liz at SXSW EDU by August 25

Fall Educator / Leader AI Micro-Credential is open: www.skills21.org/ai/micro

New AI Literacy Course now in pilot. Email chatedu@edadvance.org for info.