Week in Edtech 3/19/25: OpenAI’s Writing Model, Gemini Canvas Goes Free, Zoom’s Chain of Draft, China Adds AI to Schools, EdTech Office Closes, and More! Feat. Annie Chechitelli of Turnitin & Sara Mauskopf of Winnie

Mar 28, 2025

Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin, and Sara Mauskopf, CEO of Winnie, join to discuss critical shifts in edtech. They explore the launch of AI-driven education in China and its implications for the U.S. Meanwhile, OpenAI teases a new creative writing model, while Gemini Canvas and Deep Research go free, revolutionizing educational tools. They dive into the ethical use of AI in academics and the rise of school choice, emphasizing how parents can make informed decisions in today's learning landscape.

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INSIGHT

Gemini Canvas

Google's large user base (billions) necessitates a clean UI/UX.
Gemini Canvas allows real-time co-writing with AI, useful for education and coding.

ANECDOTE

Evolving Interfaces

Ben Kornell's children questioned how computers worked without screens at a museum.
This highlights how technology can reinvent interfaces, and how AI might evolve beyond screens.

INSIGHT

Chain of Draft

Zoom's "chain of draft" AI model mimics human note-taking.
It achieves better results with less compute by focusing on key ideas, not every word.

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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they break down a pivotal week of AI announcements, edtech disruption, and education policy shifts.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:00:00] China introduces AI education for 6-year-olds, sparking urgency for U.S. to respond
[00:05:23] OpenAI teases a creative writing model as Google and Anthropic push into coding AI
[00:07:59] Gemini Canvas and Deep Research go free, redefining educational productivity tools
[00:11:09] Copyright clash: OpenAI wants to train on protected content, creatives push back
[00:14:02] Gemini’s UI outpaces OpenAI with real classroom use cases
[00:17:54] Chain of Draft from Zoom cuts AI costs by 90% and mimics human note-taking
[00:18:34] Baidu, Alibaba launch emotion-reading and multi-modal AI models in China
[00:20:50] Manus, China’s autonomous AI agent, sparks global interest in multi-agent systems
[00:23:36] U.S. vs. China: centralized AI strategy meets decentralized innovation culture
[00:27:57] U.S. Education Dept. shutters Office of Ed Tech, leaving a national guidance gap

Plus, special guests:

[00:30:11] Annie Chechitelli, CPO at Turnitin, on launching Clarity for ethical student AI use
[01:03:49] Sara Mauskopf, CEO & Co-founder of Winnie, on expanding into K-12 and the rise of school choice

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