AI x Higher Ed Podcast

Is artificial intelligence an inevitable technological revolution, or do we still have the power to shape its future? In this episode of AI x Higher Ed, hosts Dr. Anand Rao and Stefan Bauschard welcome Dr. Mona Sloane, sociologist and Assistant Professor of Data Science and Media Studies at the University of Virginia, to explore how AI is restructuring society, institutions, education, and democra...

Agentic AI is forcing a rethink of how we teach. This analysis helps educators prepare for a future where students own their work. We examine the six signals of the agentic shift and what they mean for the future of higher education. As automation moves from simple tasks to complex reasoning, the traditional apprenticeship model faces a crisis of relevance. This discussion focuses on how curricula...

How can we ensure that AI strengthens democracy, empowers students, and serves the communities it affects? In this episode of **AI x Higher Ed**, hosts Dr. Anand Rao and Stefan Bauschard welcome **Dr. Allison Lester**, Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University and Chief Learning Officer of ASU's Mechanics of Democracy Lab. Drawing on her backgroun...

AI in education is moving far beyond simple job displacement. We explore what it means to prepare students for a rapidly shifting future. Stefan and Anand discuss whether the singularity has begun and how it changes the fundamental purpose of higher education. Instead of focusing on traditional information delivery, the conversation shifts toward creating navigators who can guide themselves throug...

AI in education is forcing us to rethink what students actually need to learn when machines possess advanced knowledge. We examine the purpose of modern schooling and why the traditional model of passive consumption is becoming obsolete. This analysis clarifies how to prepare students to actively shape the future rather than simply adapting to automated tools. Moving beyond standardized metrics is...

AI governance is shifting from theoretical debate to urgent international policy. We analyze what this means for the academic sector. Universities are facing a dual challenge as AI reshapes both administrative oversight and the core nature of research. We examine the rare convergence at the UN Security Council regarding AI safety, highlighting why global policy decisions are now directly impacting...

Can AI in higher ed reshape how we approach instruction? We discuss the practical implications of current tools on the academic landscape. Stefan Bauschard and Anand Rao sit down with Tim Dasey to break down the complexities of integrating advanced software into the classroom. As educational technology continues to outpace policy development, educators are left to navigate shifting standards of ac...

How should we evaluate AI risk assessment claims? We analyze the role of higher education in existential risk preparation. Evaluating AI risk assessment claims has become increasingly difficult as technical projections collide with political rhetoric. We analyze the validity of existential risk warnings and why the current conversation often lacks the nuance required for long-term strategic planni...

Are artificial relationships and digital isolation eroding our capacity for genuine human connection? We sit down with mathematician and former US IMO coach Po-Shen Loh to discuss how artificial intelligence might be shrinking our world. While AI promises increased productivity, we examine the risk that artificial entertainment and automated social systems are creating isolated environments rather...

Are higher education institutions ready for the complexities of AI alignment? We explore how emerging technology impacts student learning. This week, we examine the shifting landscape of artificial intelligence as it moves toward an AGI world. While we are not quite there yet, understanding the alignment problem is becoming a critical necessity for educators and administrators alike. We break down...

Can AI in education actually improve student outcomes? We interview Jerry Crisci on the real challenges facing modern schools. Jerry Crisci, a former leader in educational technology and innovation, joins us to discuss how classrooms are adapting to rapid technological shifts. We move past the hype to look at the practical opportunities for teachers and students alike as these systems become a sta...

tay current with the latest AI updates in higher education. This episode breaks down the most critical news affecting campus technology strategies this September. The AIX podcast returns for Season 2 with a focused approach. Instead of broad coverage, we are highlighting specific, high-impact developments that administrators and faculty need to track immediately. This episode examines the emergenc...

The AI x Higher Ed Podcast is back for a new season—and higher education is returning to a world where AI is moving faster than ever. In this episode, the hosts reflect on a summer of teaching, building, experimenting, and traveling while exploring what the next phase of AI means for education. They discuss an introductory AI course for incoming college students, the development of an AI-powered g...

In this June 4 AI update, the AI x Higher Ed Podcast explores the accelerating pace of model releases, new claims about recursive self-improvement, and the growing sense that AGI conversations are moving from speculation to near-term strategy. The episode also examines the trillion-dollar valuation race among AI companies, NVIDIA’s massive robotics vision, new AI hardware moves, and the tension be...

David A. Rettinger, applied professor and undergraduate program director in psychology at the University of Tulsa, joins the AI x Higher Ed podcast to discuss academic integrity, learning, and assessment in the age of generative AI. As co-author of The Opposite of Cheating, David brings together insights from cognitive science, decision science, teaching and learning, and honor systems to explore...

Are we getting closer to AGI—and is higher education ready for what comes next? In this AI x Higher Ed update, we unpack the latest signals from AI leaders including Demis Hassabis, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, and others on AGI timelines, agentic AI, scientific breakthroughs, and the idea of intelligence becoming a utility like electricity. The conversation then turns to a major new intervention fr...

Marine veteran, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader Rich Brown joins the AI x Higher Ed Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on Agentic AI, leadership, education, and what it means to prepare students for a rapidly changing future. Rich shares how he has been using AI agents across business, nonprofit work, curriculum design, executive protection, and even personal communication. Rather than tre...

In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Theresa Burriss joins the AI x Higher Ed Podcast to explore what authenticity means in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing from philosophy, Appalachian studies, environmental justice, and decades of teaching experience, Dr. Burriss reflects on how AI challenges our assumptions about voice, creativity, learning, and human connection. The...

n this week’s AI x Higher Ed update, we unpack the accelerating pace of artificial intelligence development and what it means for higher education, industry, and society at large. From AI systems collaborating with one another and coding autonomously for hours at a time, to major infrastructure battles over compute power, the conversation explores how rapidly the AI landscape is evolving. The epis...

In this episode, we sit down with Tim Mousel (Lone Star College), kinesiology professor turned AI innovator, to explore how curiosity, necessity, and relentless perseverance led him to become one of the most influential voices in AI and higher education. From building early software tools before ChatGPT existed to advising national AI initiatives, Tim shares a powerful perspective on why AI isn’t...

The pace of AI development is accelerating faster than most institutions, and most people, are prepared for. In this May 5, 2026, AI Update, the AI x Higher Ed team explores the growing momentum toward AGI, recursive self-improvement, humanoid robotics, AI-driven job displacement, and the emerging moral dilemmas shaping the future of society. The conversation examines why leaders like Sam Altman a...

What happens when artificial intelligence forces higher education to confront long-standing assumptions about teaching, learning, and assessment? In this episode of AI x Higher Ed, Stefan and Anand sit down with Lance Eaton, Senior Associate Director of AI in Teaching and Learning at Northeastern University, to explore why AI is not simply another educational technology disruption — and why libera...

What if students didn’t just learn about complex global issues—but lived inside them? In this episode of the AI x Higher Ed Podcast, we explore how simulation-based learning—powered by AI—is redefining engagement, retention, and critical thinking in education. From a struggling classroom at Georgetown to immersive geopolitical simulations used by universities, the military, and even high schools,...

In this week’s AI x Higher Ed podcast update, we explore a provocative question increasingly raised by AI leaders and researchers: are we entering AI’s equivalent of “January 2020” — the moment just before exponential change becomes impossible to ignore? Drawing on comments from Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis, Emad Mostaque, and Nick Bostrom, we unpack growing signs that AI capabilities may be acceler...

In this week’s AI x Higher Ed update, we unpack a wave of major AI advancements—from multimodal breakthroughs like ChatGPT Images 2.0 to the rise of agentic workflows and open-source competition. We also explore what these changes mean for higher education, workforce disruption, and the evolving skills students will need in an AI-native world. As AI capabilities rapidly converge across reasoning,...