Has the One Feature Educators Demanded Arrived? | Ep. 95

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 chatedu@edadvance.org 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