AI EDU and a Jam Band? The Wilton Interview | Ep. 105

In this episode of ChatEDU - AI EDU and a Jam Band? The Wilton Interview, Matt and Liz discuss the surprising ways AI models are beginning to "conspire" to protect one another, they do a brisk rundown, and a deep conversation with educators from Wilton, Connecticut. And of course they end with another great Bright Byte. The opening also features a quick celebration of the 2026 Presidential AI Challenge state champions and two ChatEDU “regulars”.

The Rundown

An AI agent named "Tom" writes an angry blog post after being banned from editing Wikipedia.

A specialized LLM on Hugging Face that only knows data from the Victorian era (and is very confused by Donald Trump).

Barbara Anna Zielonka method for using Microsoft Copilot to create video glossaries for complex terms.

A Dartmouth article exploring why professors only catch "bad" AI writing, while high-quality AI goes undetected.

A Gallup survey reveals nearly half of college students are considering changing majors due to AI’s impact on the job market.

A look back at the "Virtual Faculty Engine" prank that felt a little too real for 2026.

A $100 million "moonshot" initiative aiming to halve the number of struggling young readers using AI speech recognition.

Beneath the Surface

Matt and Liz talk with Kenneth Dunaj and William Antonitis about Wilton Public Schools' AI literacy efforts, including a pilot using SchoolAI and Gemini and a virtual assistant named "Mel" who challenges student creativity through a grizzled persona. The episode also touches on AI "peer preservation," environmental concerns around large models, and the debate over framing AI as an academic performance enhancer.

The Bright Byte

Matt and Liz explore a $663,000 handbag made from synthetic T-Rex leather. Created by reconstructing ancient collagen protein sequences via AI-assisted biology, the project serves as a provocative blend of high fashion, paleontology, and ethical material science.

Announcements

Purchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Radday

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

This episode is sponsored by Edia: The Ai Platform to improve K-12 outcomes - edia.app/contact

Links

AI Models Scheme to Prevent Each Other's Shutdown

https://tinyurl.com/52uytdhp

2026 Presidential AI Challenge State Champions

https://tinyurl.com/4fj4bskt

AI Agent Banned from Wikipedia, Responds with Angry Blog Posts

https://tinyurl.com/ys3s3pc3

Using Copilot's Video Feature for Vocabulary and Concept Learning

https://tinyurl.com/u3wtpwek

States Push Back Against Data Centers

https://tinyurl.com/55zw47fb

Rempe-Hiam: Hey Professors, AI Is Wearing a Good Toupée

https://tinyurl.com/ycxpn5h8

AI is making college students change majors

https://tinyurl.com/yc52wrtu

Phased Retirement Professors to Join AI Pilot Program

https://tinyurl.com/379629jd

Renaissance Philanthropy Launches AI Early Literacy Initiative

https://tinyurl.com/7dav74ey

Lab-Grown T-Rex Leather Handbag Debuts at High Price

https://tinyurl.com/yzcc44tk