ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast

In this episode of ChatEDU, Postcards from ISTE - The Student AI Revolution is Already Here, Matt and Liz open with the perils of being an author, including AI-generated knockoffs flooding Apple Books and Amazon with hallucinated covers and nonsensical content. The Rundown Google added short-form vertical AI video to NotebookLM, and Gemini launched study notebooks, which generate a diagnostic quiz...

“In this ChatEDU Check-In: How queer youth navigate AI , Liz explores how LGBTQ+ young people interact with artificial intelligence tools, focusing on their ethical stances and unique use cases." This episode highlights a recent study examining the contrast between queer youth and their peers regarding AI avoidance, privacy, and support structures. Key Takeaways: LGBTQ+ youth are significantl...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: An Unusual Response to AI in the Classroom , Liz explores a professor's decision to award perfect scores and cancel a final assignment after discovering widespread AI use. The episode highlights the growing tension between authentic student learning and AI detection in education. Key Takeaways: A professor gave all students full credit to avoid becoming a punitive det...

In this episode of ChatEDU Keeping Student Thinking Visible: Why AI is Making Classrooms Harder (In a Good Way), Matt and Liz kick it off with an informal pop quiz distinguishing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) from Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) and then Artificial Slider Intelligence (ASI-2 - as in burgers). They dive into a study from NPJ Science of Food detailing this new ASI coined...

In this episode of ChatEDU, Silicon Over Ivy - The Shift from the Traditional B-School MBA, Matt and Liz kick it off with a hilarious look at the "In the Weights" web app, a tool that reveals how people are represented inside AI models when offline. They discover that the app identifies their boss, Jon Costa, as a prominent Brazilian funk singer from Rio de Janeiro known by his stage nam...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Teens, Tweens, and AI Part Two: AI Use Outside of School, Matt explores how youth are interacting with artificial intelligence platforms outside the classroom for personal, social, and emotional reasons. The discussion centers on data from the 2026 Common Sense Media study, highlighting both the risks of social isolation and the potential for productive tool use. Key Take...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The Common Sense Media Census: AI Use by Tweens and Teens (2026) , Matt explores how students are leaning on AI to complete their schoolwork. A substantial majority of children are incorporating these automated platforms regularly into their daily routines. This rapid integration is fundamentally changing how students approach their assignments both at home and within the...

In this episode of ChatEDU, Librarians at the Center, the Unsung Leaders of School AI , Matt and Liz open with a wild legal story out of Mississippi, where a federal judge canceled a trial and disqualified all four lawyers after attorneys on both sides were caught using generative AI that cited fabricated court cases. The Rundown Matt and Liz celebrate the regional winners at the White House, incl...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Why Users Are Moving to DuckDuckGo, Liz explores how user backlash against Google's major artificial intelligence search overhaul is driving significant traffic to alternative platforms." This shift highlights a growing consumer demand for traditional search experiences that prioritize user control over automated summaries. Key Takeaways: Google is transforming i...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Reality of the Learning Stall , Liz explores a computer science professor's experience with an undergraduate student who used an AI agent to complete a research project. The student relied entirely on the AI tool, leaving him completely unable to explain the logic of the code or notice critical flaws in the research methodology. This scenario highlights how automated...

In this episode of ChatEDU, Prompt No More: What Claude Plug-ins Signal for AI in Education, Matt and Liz open with a major Meta security flaw: hackers simply asked Meta AI to grant access to high-profile Instagram accounts, including Barack Obama's. With support entirely AI-run, affected users couldn't reach a human. The Rundown ChatGPT's new memory system uses "dreaming" to...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: How People Are Actually Using AI in 2026 , Matt explores a rigorous study analyzing thousands of real-world examples to reveal a massive shift towards personal and professional support. The data tracks over 12,000 use cases across platforms like Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube to capture how people actually interact with AI in their daily lives. Key Takeaways...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: How to fight brain rot at school? , Matt explores Estonia's nationwide launch of a customized, Socratic version of ChatGPT for 20,000 high school students. Despite wide access, early data shows that only 35 percent of eligible students consistently use the system, which is designed to guide learning rather than provide direct answers. Key Takeaways: Estonia's scho...

In this episode of ChatEDU AI on the Sidelines, Near Real-Time Coaching for Every Educator , open with the "Sad Wives of AI," a Wired piece on the marital strain and household gender gaps emerging as Bay Area tech husbands pour themselves into the AI wave. The Rundown Google has introduced automatic Google Drive syncing for NotebookLM, eliminating the need to manually update uploaded Goo...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Catch Up Crisis , Liz explores how artificial intelligence can help address the widespread failure of American schools to effectively help struggling students catch up. Grade inflation and the removal of standardized testing requirements are masking major learning gaps, leaving many students unprepared for higher education despite having high grade-point average. Key Take...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: AI Labs Hiring Philosophers , Liz explores why leading artificial intelligence labs like Google DeepMind and Anthropic have begun hiring in-house philosophers. This shift turns abstract questions about the nature of intelligence into practical guidelines for model behavior. Key Takeaways: AI labs are employing philosophers to work alongside computer scientists to sculpt t...

In this episode of ChatEDU An Earful of Ivy: AI and the Battle for Higher Ed Integrity, Matt and Liz open with an internet prank: an anonymous artist posted a real Monet, claimed it was AI generated, and watched critics bash the masterpiece as AI slop. The hosts then pivot to education, technology, and policy. The Rundown John R. Soash's three configurations for restricting student access to G...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Data Center Disaster? Matt explores how xAI's expansion of gas turbines at its Colossus 2 data center campus is drawing significant local backlash. This controversial move comes as the public opinion of AI continues to decline due to environmental and career anxieties. Key Takeaways: Elon Musk's xAI is increasing portable gas-fired power at its Mississippi campus...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: College graduates are loudly booing commencement speakers as they talk about AI , Matt explores the growing vocal pushback and open hostility from graduating university students when speakers introduce the topic of AI during commencement speeches. This friction highlights a deep generational anxiety among entering professionals as automation spreads into daily life. Key T...

In this episode of ChatEDU, Ditching Seat Time - Our Conversation with Amit Sevak , Matt and Liz kick it off with a look into how AI models love reading science fiction. They explore fascinating new research from Anthropic showing that AI models often lean into behaviors learned from sci-fi, such as conspiring against humans or utilizing blackmail when facing a shutdown, and how post-training with...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: AI Outperforms Doctors on Clinical Diagnosis Study , Liz explores how advanced AI reasoning models are demonstrating a high degree of accuracy when analyzing complex medical data." The episode highlights a recent study involving Harvard Medical School where an OpenAI model successfully navigated messy electronic health records from actual emergency department cases t...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: The Actual Impact of Cell Phone Bans , Liz explores the first major study analyzing the effects of lockable phone pouches and school cell phone restrictions." This study examines how these bans alter student behavior, academic performance, and overall school culture after implementation. Key Takeaways: Implementing lockable phone pouches causes immediate friction, in...

In this episode of ChatEDU, "A Good Week for Jevons Paradox," Matt and Liz kick it off with a dramatic reading of leaked text messages between Sam Altman and Mira Murati. The hosts discuss the high-stakes drama surrounding OpenAI, including Murati's testimony regarding Altman's honesty and the chaotic events leading up to his brief firing, which they jokingly refer to as "th...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: Measuring Durable Skills with Vantage , Matt explores the development of a controlled assessment environment designed to measure critical thinking and collaboration through AI simulations. This experimental platform places students into diverse missions, such as investigating advertising truth or planning environmental events, to turn abstract human skills into measurable...

In this ChatEDU Check-In: YouTube Unchained at School, Matt explores the pervasive and often problematic reliance on YouTube within K:12 classrooms. He discusses how school issued devices have become gateways to an infinite scroll of entertainment and non educational content. Key Takeaways: Schools are heavily dependent on YouTube for instruction, which frequently exposes students to inappropriate...