Learning Curve

For this episode Jeff connected with Evan Ratliff, who created what he calls “the world’s first AI-led startup” to see what happens when AI agents run a company. Shell Game podcast, by Evan Ratliff. "Silicon Valley’s New Obsession: Watching Bots Do Their Grunt Work," in The Wall Street Journal.  

Barbara Oakley, learning-science professor urging a return to internalized facts for real expertise. Nelson Dellis, memory champion and coach who trains vivid mnemonic systems. They debate why rote facts matter in an AI world. They explore timelines, dates, language memorization, mnemonic encoding of numbers, and how practice turns tricks into fluency.

Can thinking the public narrative around robot cars help educators think about the fast-rising trend of generative AI? For this episode, Jeff talked with two experts with books on how to think about teaching and AI — and put them in debate about key differences in their approaches.Books, articles and podcasts mentioned:“Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning,” by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson.“More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI,” by John Warner. “What Is Culture in the Age of A.I.?” by Joshua Rothman in The New Yorker.My interview with writer John McPhee from 2018 on the EdSurge Podcast.“Chemistry Nobel goes to developers of AlphaFold AI that predicts protein structures,” in Nature.

During the ICE surge in Minneapolis, AI is playing a role in this tense and unfolding story, specifically how it is contributing to misinformation. What can educators do to prepare students, and any of us, for this new information landscape where AI is increasingly a factor. Jeff visited the University of Minnesota’s journalism school and talked with a professor who is exploring the role of AI in news, as well as three student journalists covering protests and ICE activity.Links mentioned:Photos, videos and other coverage from The Minnesota Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Minnesota.Trump social media post showing AI generated image of him attacking protesters, and an article about it. "White House shares an altered photo of arrested Minnesota protester Nekima Levy Armstrong," in NBC News.  

Last week the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing about potential legislation banning kids under 13 from using social media. Australia has a new law keeping kids under 16 off the technology. What about new AI tools? Should regulations enforce age limits — and is that even possible given how embedded the tech is becoming?Senate Commerce Committee Hearing, "Plugged Out: Examining the Impact of Technology on America’s Youth."

In the past few months new AI tools known as “Agentic AI” have emerged. These new browsers let users deploy AI assistants that can surf the web on their behalf. While they were designed to do things like book airline tickets or schedule meetings, students can use the tools to have the bot log into learning management systems to take quizzes for them. Anna Mills, a longtime English instructor, has called on AI companies to add a simple guardrail to keep these tools from assisting in academic fraud, just as they refuse to help with hacking or other unethical acts. The situation raises questions about how AI companies are responding to calls by educators to add safeguards to protect learning.LinkedIn post by Anna Mills calling for AI companies to add guardrails to protect learning. “Statement on Educational Technologies and AI Agents” by the Modern Language Association.Video demo by Anna Mills showing an Agentic AI browser taking quizzes in the name of a student.“Tech companies don’t care that students use their AI agents to cheat,” in The Verge.Perplexity ad on social media."The Adoption and Usage of AI Agents: Early Evidence from Perplexity," in ArXiv.

Matt Boudinot’s AI explainer videos and his Auto Service Soft Skills Garage.A super-short version of this episode that ran on APM’s Marketplace."The Best of Car Talk: Some Noises Are Better Than Others,” on NPR.

"1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has," NPR. “How many hours does it take to make a friend?,” research by this week’s guest Jeff Hall.“Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens,” in The New York Times.Talk out the Thomas Jefferson chatbot discussed on this episode.“Programmed for Love,” an article I wrote for The Chronicle of Higher Education about Sherry Turkle’s work back in 2011.

Redmond Bernhold is a student opinion editor at Notre Dame, advocating for changes to protect core curriculum from AI shortcuts. Mark McCready, a chemical engineering professor, discusses the challenges of fully 'AI-proofing' courses while emphasizing practical responses. David Griffith, an English professor, shares insights on how syllabus decisions can encourage deep engagement despite AI's presence. They explore student frustrations over AI's academic impact and propose thoughtful integration of AI as a learning tool rather than outright bans.

In this insightful discussion, Bryan Alexander, a futurist and senior scholar on higher education trends, delves into the notion of 'Peak Higher Education.' He highlights the surge in dual enrollment and changing attitudes towards colleges. Bryan contrasts optimistic and cautious ideologies regarding AI's role in education. He addresses the complexities of AI adoption, faculty divisions, and the risks of personalization. Finally, he emphasizes the importance of critical AI literacy as a way forward for institutions navigating this evolving landscape.