AI x Higher Ed Podcast

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,...

In this insightful conversation, we sit down with Professor Laura Dumin from the University of Central Oklahoma to discuss her valuable work and the early stages of generative ai. We explore the impact of ai technology and the exciting advancements in artificial intelligence. This interview with ai expert provides a clear perspective on the evolving landscape, making complex topics more ai explain...

In this week’s AI x Higher Ed update, we break down the latest Stanford AI Index Report (2026)—one of the most comprehensive snapshots of AI’s global trajectory. But here’s the twist: even a 400+ page report can’t keep up with the pace of change. We explore what the report reveals—and what it already misses—including rapid advances in frontier models, the widening adoption gap, shifting workforce...

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Di Troia of Project Evident to explore what it really takes to adopt AI responsibly in education. Moving beyond hype and tools, Sarah introduces the Equitable AI Adoption Framework—a practical, people-first approach designed to help institutions implement AI in ways that drive meaningful outcomes for students. We discuss why most organizations struggle to mo...

AI isn’t just improving—it’s accelerating into territory that even its creators are warning about. In this episode of the AI x Higher Ed Podcast, we break down the implications of Claude Mythos (Anthropic’s rumored Claude 5), a system so powerful it’s raising internal safety alarms. From uncovering decades-old security flaws to demonstrating advanced reasoning and manipulation risks, we explore wh...

In this episode of the AI x Higher Ed Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Kip Glazer, principal of Mountain View High School in Silicon Valley and author of Ready to Lead with AI.Dr. Glazer shares an unfiltered look at what it actually means to lead a school at the epicenter of the AI revolution—from navigating uncertainty and redefining curriculum to balancing innovation with humanity. This conversatio...

In this episode, we explore one of the most profound shifts in education history: the transition from scarce, instructor-led knowledge to abundant, AI-powered learning. As students gain access to personalized AI tutors, adaptive learning systems, and always-on support, the traditional classroom model faces a critical inflection point. We unpack how this shift impacts student motivation, the value...

We unpack the rise of agentic AI, self-improving systems, and enterprise-scale deployments—while also confronting the growing societal implications, including workforce disruption and the urgent need for policy response.⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Introduction & AI Literacy InitiativeA new Department of Labor program aims to make AI education accessible via text-based microlearning.01:30 – Are We Alrea...

The pace of AI is no longer linear—it’s exponential. In this March 20, 2026 AI Update, we unpack why leading firms like Morgan Stanley are warning of an imminent breakthrough and what that means for knowledge work, jobs, and higher education. From autonomous AI agents and “one-person companies” to the rise of physical labor value and the urgency of AI literacy in education, this episode explores t...

This week’s shorter AI update (recorded early ahead of a conference) tackles a big, messy question: how close are we to “digital AGI,” and is higher ed remotely prepared? The conversation moves from public claims about AGI and rapid progress in AI coding, to what it means to treat AI less like a tool and more like a partner in knowledge work. The hosts also unpack a new AI fluency report that reve...

Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase — one where systems are beginning to improve themselves, deploy themselves, and potentially operate with minimal human involvement. In this week’s AI x Higher Ed update, we explore the growing techlash against AI, the rapid acceleration of AI development, and the emergence of autonomous organizations built around AI agents. While schools and universi...

This week’s AI update explores one of the most consequential developments in the AI landscape to date. A clash between the U.S. government and Anthropic over autonomous warfare and surveillance capabilities has pushed AI from technical discussions into the center of geopolitical, economic, and ethical debates. At the same time, real-world job displacement tied to AI workflows is becoming visible a...

A post-debate debrief from Stefan and Anand after a provocative campus resolution: “UMW should be an AI university.” Using three data sources—59 survey responses, transcript analysis, and five student reflections—this episode unpacks why the debate increased familiarity dramatically but moved the persuadable middle toward “no.” The core takeaway: the campus largely supports AI integration, but res...

In this February 18 AI Update, the team zooms in on economic restructuring and the “great transition”: accelerating automation of knowledge work, a likely shift toward physical labor (at least until robotics catches up), and what this means for higher education right now. They discuss predictions of near-term disruption (12–18 months), growing public awareness of AI replacing technical work, and t...