AI in Education Podcast

This week's episode dives into a wave of new research shaping how AI is actually being used in education. We explore what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to AI-generated feedback, including why blended, "hybrid" feedback may be the most effective approach - and why more feedback doesn't always lead to better outcomes. The conversation then turns to one of the most important emerging issues: bias in AI systems. From subtle differences in tone to stereotyping based on student characteristics, the research highlights why educators need to be cautious about the data they provide AI tools. "If you use AI to write feedback, it does not treat every student the same way equally." We also talk about the growing evidence around AI tutors - where they outperform humans, where they fall short, and what actually drives meaningful learning gains. Along the way, we tackle major questions around detection, student use, teacher workload, and whether AI can ever replace human connection. The big takeaway? AI is powerful. And how we design, guide, and use it in education matters more than ever. Research Papers discussed this week AI for Feedback Directive, metacognitive, or a blend of both? A comparison of AI-generated feedback types on student engagement, confidence, and outcomes https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2026.100553  AI assistance in peer feedback provision: Pedagogically sound, but minimally adopted https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131526000291 Marked Pedagogies: Examining Linguistic Biases in Personalized Automated Writing Feedback https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12471 AI and Bias The Life Cycle of Large Language Models: A Review of Biases in Education https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.13505  AI Tutors AI tutoring can safely and effectively support students: An exploratory RCT in UK classrooms https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.23633v1 LearnMate: Enhancing Online Education with LLM-Powered Personalized Learning Plans and Support https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706599.3719857 Effective Personalized AI Tutors via LLM-Guided Reinforcement Learning https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6423358 Unifying AI Tutor Evaluation: An Evaluation Taxonomy for Pedagogical Ability Assessment of LLM-Powered AI Tutors https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.09416v1 AI Detection Trusting AI to detect AI? A systematic evaluation of the reliability and robustness of current AIGC detection tools for student academic work (paywalled) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0360131526000540 Teacher Workload Shiksha Copilot: Teacher-AI Collaboration for Curating and Customizing Lesson Plans in Low-Resource School https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.00456v3  Student use The Secret Life of Students project - WonkHE Feb/March 2026 https://wonkhe.com/wp-content/wonkhe-uploads/2026/03/Wonkhe_SLOS2026_Jim_slides.pdf Is a random human peer better than a highly supportive chatbot in reducing loneliness over time? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022103126000417?dgcid=rss_sd_all 

Tina Austin joins Ray and Dan for a wide-ranging conversation about what AI adoption really looks like in US education beyond the hype, the headlines and the endless frameworks. Tina is an educator, consultant, policy adviser and the founder of GAInable. She works with schools, colleges and faculty teams on responsible AI adoption. In this episode, she shares how her work evolved from teaching bioethics and AI ethics into supporting educators across the US as they grapple with policy, privacy, assessment, tools, and changing classroom practice. The conversation explores the fragmented reality of AI in education, why many teachers are feeling "frameworked out", and why Tina believes the best place to start is not with the tool, but with the problem you are trying to solve. We also dig into Tina's "UnBlooms" framework - a challenge to linear interpretations of Bloom's Taxonomy in the age of generative AI - and discuss critical thinking, student reflection, equity, privacy, and why educators should stay sceptical of easy answers. A thoughtful episode on using AI well, asking better questions, and meeting learners where they are. Here's all the links you need: Tina's new venture, Gainable AI Gainable.ai  The UnBlooms™ model: A Problem-Centered Framework for Learning Design in the AI Era https://zenodo.org/records/17298679  The UnBlooms™ Workbook: How to Design, Teach, and Assess Human Reasoning in the AI Era Tina's Custom GPT for UnBloom: Unbloom-it You can contact Tina on email at tina@tinaaustin.com  

In this AI News episode, Dan and Ray explore the fast-moving reality of AI in the workplace - and why many of us might not be as prepared as we think. They unpack a striking story of a KPMG partner fined for using AI to cheat on an AI ethics course, raising questions about assessment, responsibility, and what "cheating" even means in an AI-enabled world. The conversation then shifts to a growing trend: organisations and universities rolling out AI tools like Copilot at scale, and what this means for equity, productivity, and expectations in the workplace. Dan and Ray also dive into new research from Anthropic on the future of work, highlighting which roles are most exposed to AI disruption - and why knowledge work may change more than hands-on professions. They explore the idea that the real shift isn't job loss, but job transformation. Finally, they tackle bold claims from industry leaders that office roles could be automated within 12–18 months, debating what's hype versus reality. This episode challenges a simple narrative: AI isn't just replacing work - it's redefining what valuable work looks like. Links to discussions in the podcast: KPMG partner fined for using artificial intelligence to cheat in AI training test https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/16/kpmg-partner-fined-artificial-intelligence-ai-training-test Aston University is first Midlands University to provide all staff with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Chat for Students https://www.aston.ac.uk/latest-news/aston-university-first-midlands-university-provide-all-staff-microsoft-365-copilot-and NY Times: Who's a Better Writer: A.I. or Humans? Take Our Quiz. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/03/09/business/ai-writing-quiz.html  Anthropic and US Government https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war Anthropic future of labour report https://www.anthropic.com/research/labor-market-impacts AI Exposure of the Australian & US Job Market AUS: https://0xtreme.github.io/aus-jobs/  US: https://joshkale.github.io/jobs/   Anthropic Education Report - AI Fluency index https://www.anthropic.com/research/AI-fluency-index The end of office workers as we know it? https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/microsoft-ai-ceo-mustafa-suleyman-issues-18-month-warning-for-office-workers/ar-AA1WvXMi?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=69957afbd4c747f08d77afaead77499c&ei=56 

Professor Stephen Heppell joins Dan and Ray for a wide-ranging conversation about the future of schools, assessment, and learning in the age of AI. Stephen reflects on more than four decades of innovation in education technology — from early experiments with AI and HyperCard through to today's generative AI systems. Drawing on work around the world, he shares stories from radical learning environments including beach schools, post-hurricane classrooms in the Cayman Islands, and experimental learning spaces designed with students themselves. A central theme of the episode is the growing gap between how schools currently operate and the skills the modern world demands. Stephen argues that as AI makes knowledge abundant, the most valuable human capabilities will be creativity, ingenuity, collaboration, and ethical judgement - qualities that traditional assessment systems rarely measure well. The discussion also explores how AI can support teachers rather than replace them, helping with differentiated learning activities, analysis of student understanding, and freeing teachers to focus on the human side of education. Finally, Stephen challenges educators and policymakers to rethink learning spaces, assessment, and student agency - and to build education systems that prepare learners for a rapidly changing world. If you want to read about more of Stephen's work, there's plenty more detail on Lindfield Learning Village and lots more on https://www.heppell.net/ 

In this news-packed episode, hosts Ray and Dan explore Purdue University's bold new requirement for all graduates to demonstrate AI competency; and the strategic partnerships between Harvey.ai (the specialised system for the legal profession) and universities in Sydney, Oxford and Chicago. The conversation turns to the "first in the world" move by the University of Manchester to provide Microsoft 365 Copilot to 65,000 students and staff - paying homage to the legacy of Alan Turing. A highlight of the episode is the deep dive into "vibe coding"— the phenomenon of non-programmers using AI to build applications through iterative prompting rather than manual syntax. They also tackle the "AI bubble," the rise of "work slop," and the surprising research showing that Boomers often have a more accurate understanding of how AI works than Millennials. Links & Resources: Purdue University adds 'AI working competency' graduation requirement https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/2025/Q4/purdue-unveils-comprehensive-ai-strategy-trustees-approve-ai-working-competency-graduation-requirement/  University Law Schools introduce AI partnerships https://www.afr.com/companies/professional-services/sydney-and-uts-law-schools-bow-to-ai-wave-partner-with-harvey-20260119-p5nv49  University of Manchester announces 'world first' AI rollout with Microsoft https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/world-first-ai-partnership-between-the-university-of-manchester-and-microsoft-announced/  "What we are doing about AI at UWA" https://www.uwa.edu.au/news/article/2026/february/what-we-are-doing-about-ai-at-uwa  High school students forced to fight false allegations of AI cheating https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-22/ai-detectors-incorrectly-brand-high-school-students-ai-cheats/106138394  New Future of Work Report from Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/New-Future-Of-Work-Report-2025.pdf  The Impact of AI on Work in Higher Education https://www.educause.edu/research/2026/the-impact-of-ai-on-work-in-higher-education  Americans Have Mixed Views of AI – and an Appetite for Regulation https://www.searchlightinstitute.org/research/americans-have-mixed-views-of-ai-and-an-appetite-for-regulation/  And finally.... From the "Do you ever read T&C's" dept https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthewwemyss_i-logged-into-ai-studio-yesterday-and-i-ran-activity-7411400400177729536-hgPL 

AI in Universities: Why Connection, Not Content, is Now King This was an exciting episode, because we recorded it on campus at the world's newest university - Adelaide University. It officially started on-campus delivery this week, as it finally opened the doors after merging the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. Amid the buzz of students arriving for week 1, Eddie Major and I found some time to sit down and talk about how AI is impacting universities. Eddie is the university's AI Learning and Teaching Coordinator and you may not be surprised to learn that we discussed the AI myths of higher education and what being an "AI-first university" means.  Eddie debunks the "AI brain rot" myth, explaining that while the technology is disruptive, it is not the end of the university. Instead, we are moving from an era where "Content is King" to one where "Connection is King." We explore: Upstream AI Use: How students are using tools like NotebookLM to synthesise information before they even start an assignment. The Soft Skills Surge: Why communication and critical thinking are now more valuable than hard technical skills. The AI-First University: What it truly means to embed AI literacy across a global curriculum. References: We discussed the research from Hiromu Yakura at the Max Planck Institute about the way that ChatGPT was influencing speech. The paper, called "Empirical evidence of Large Language Model's influence on human spoken communication" is available at this link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.01754 

Is AI an "efficiency engine" or a "cognitive crutch"? In this episode, Dan and Ray explore the OECD's latest warnings regarding "metacognitive laziness" - the risk of students offloading the thinking process entirely to generative tools. As the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026 suggests, without pedagogical guardrails, we may be sacrificing long-term learning for short-term performance.   The discussion shifts to the UK's aggressive new response: the Department of Education's Safety Standards. These rules explicitly ban "sycophantic" or flattering AI designs, stripping away avatars and "personhood" to ensure AI remains a tool rather than a digital companion. We discuss a NY Times article about AI in schools too, and the global experiments. We also dive into Deakin University's multidisciplinary inquiry, which provides six essential curriculum recommendations for a world of ubiquitous AI. Finally, we highlight the release of Leon Furze's Teaching AI Ethics, a vital new (and free) resource for teachers navigating these complex waters. Key References: OECD: Digital Education Outlook 2026 UK DfE: Generative AI Product Safety Standards for Education (Jan 2026) UK DfE: Commitment to AI Tutoring for disadvantaged children NY Times: As Schools Embrace A.I. Tools, Sceptics Raise Concerns Deakin University's FutureFocus GenAI program Free E-Book: Teaching AI Ethics by Leon Furze (teachingaiethics.com)

In this special "flipped" episode, the tables are turned on your usual hosts, Dan Bowen and Ray Fleming. Interviewed by Dr. Michael Hallissy from (and for) the teachnet Ireland podcast, Dan and Ray step into the guest seats to share the "AI in Education" podcast origin story - from its 2019 "skunkworks" beginnings at Microsoft to its current status as an independent voice in the global edtech conversation. The trio dives deep into how the podcast evolved through the 2022 Generative AI explosion, moving from technical "hoodie" discussions about algorithms to essential human skills like empathy and questioning. They reflect on impactful moments, including the complexities of indigenous data rights and why "AI detectors" are a failing tool for schools. Beyond the backstory, Dan and Ray discuss the widening AI equity gap and their vision for 2026: a focus on "the doers"—the teachers implementing AI in the classroom today. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the show, this episode offers a rare, personal look at the mission behind the mics. We think this episode might be especially interesting to all the new listeners who have joined us over the last 6 months, who might have some questions about where and when the podcast started, and Ray and Dan's background! We want to especially thank Michael for asking us great questions, and Pat Brennan for being the technical & scheduling mastermind to make it happen. Links & References TeachNet Ireland Podcast: https://teachnet.ie/category/podcasts/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teachnet-podcasts/id1650615051  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4hiz0yCcT7D5qs8J85Fl5K  Research Paper discussed: "Heads I Win, Tails You Lose"     

Welcome to our first episode of 2026. In this heavy-hitting season opener, hosts Dan and Ray are joined by Dr. Mark Bassett, Academic Lead for AI at Charles Sturt University and a "superhero" of AI activism. Mark's an ally in our long standing mantra on the podcast, as we know you've got tired of hearing just Dan and Ray say "AI detectors don't work". Dr. Bassett breaks down his landmark paper, "Heads We Win, Tails You Lose: AI Detectors in Education" which we describe (hopefully) as the final 'silver nail in the coffin' for detection software. We move past the surface-level "they don't work" argument and dive into the legal, ethical, and systemic risks universities face by relying on "black box" algorithms. Mark compares current AI detection to using a deck of tarot cards to determine a student's future - arguing that these tools have no place in a fair academic integrity process. We also explore the S.E.C.U.R.E. framework, a tool-agnostic approach to integrating AI into education safely. If you're an educator, student, or leader wondering how to move from suspicion to capability-building, this is the blueprint you've been waiting for. Links  The Research Paper: Heads We Win, Tails You Lose: AI Detectors in Education The Framework: The SECURE Framework for AI Integration Find Mark Bassett online via his website and LinkedIn Referenced Study: University of Reading's "Turing Test" paper on AI in Exams

AI in Education's Christmas Special: Hallucinations, Headbands, and Bad Ideas In this end-of-year Christmas special, Ray and Dan squeeze in one final episode to reflect on a whirlwind year in AI and education - with a healthy dose of festive chaos. They unpack the latest AI news, including Australia's National AI Plan, OpenAI's Australian data centre and teacher certification course, major university rollouts of ChatGPT, and global experiments like nationwide AI tools in schools and targeted funding for AI-assisted teaching. But this episode quickly moves beyond policy and platforms into something more fun - and more unsettling! Ray challenges Dan with a "Real or Hallucinated?" quiz featuring AI products that may (or may not) exist, from focus-monitoring headbands and robot teachers to pet translators and laugh-track smart speakers. Along the way, they explore what these products reveal about current AI practice, the risks of anthropomorphising technology, and why education must keep humans firmly at the centre of learning - even as experimentation accelerates. It's a light-hearted but thoughtful way to wrap up 2025, and a reminder that just because AI can do something, doesn't always mean it should.   News Items in the episode   Tech companies advised to label and 'watermark' AI-generated content https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-01/ai-guidance-label-watermark-ai-content/106083786    El Salvador announces national AI program with Grok for Education https://x.ai/news/el-salvador-partnership    Hong Kong schools to get HK$500,000 (about AU$100K/ US$65K) each under AI education plan https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3336600/hong-kong-schools-get-hk500000-each-under-hk500-million-ai-education-plan    OpenAI to open Australian hosted service https://www.afr.com/technology/openai-becomes-major-tenant-in-7b-data-centre-deal-20251204-p5nkr4    OpenAI ChatGPT for Teachers foundations course https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chatgpt-for-education_new-for-k-12-educators-chatgpt-foundations-activity-7404242317718487042-He9H    La Trobe chooses ChatGPT Education https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2025/release/openai-collaboration-drives-inclusion,-innovation    Australia's Nation AI Plan https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/national-ai-plan   

In this special end-of-year episode, Ray and Dan unwrap the biggest moments, ideas, guests, and breakthroughs that shaped AI in education in 2025. From standout tools to unforgettable interviews, they look back at a year defined by rapid change, bold experimentation, and extraordinary people driving meaningful impact. [If you want to see, rather than just hear, this episode, then come over and join us on YouTube at https://youtu.be/IhGwPPuWA4o - this episode is a visual treat with bonus Dad humour] They reveal their AI Product of the Year (NotebookLM), the worst offenders in AI hype, and their most loved - and most hated - research papers. And then they revisit the year's most-downloaded episode, celebrate exceptional system-level leadership from Brisbane Catholic Education, and honour powerful student voices from Caitlin and the All Hallows' cohort. The awards extend to professional learning champions Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan, Indigenous perspectives with Peta-Anne Toohey, and reflective insights from Carlo Iacono on what it means to stay human in an AI-saturated world. Finally, Ray and Dan name their overall winners of 2025 - and map out the essential episodes to revisit over the holidays. Full Awards list AI in Education Product of the Year: Notebook LM Research Paper of the Year: "Heads we win, tails you lose: AI Detectors in Education" from Mark A Bassett et al. Most downloaded Episode of the Year: "Learning Designers Meet AI" with Minh Huynh & Cory Dal Ponte K–12 Leadership & Vision Award: Leigh Williams and team at Brisbane Catholic Education Best AI Professional Development Work: Lee Barrett & Prem Radhakrishnan Award for "Voices Representing a Billion people": To the students we had in Series 12, especially Caitlin, and Abby, Abby, Miranda, Eloise, Charlotte, Annie Most Nerve-Wracking Interview / Indigenous Voice Award: Peta-Anne Toohey Making AI Human Award: Carlo Iacono Researcher of the Year: Dr Anna Denejkina  Runners Up People not on the podcast this year, but who  we feel have been influential in the AI in Education community Community Leaders in AI & Education: Simone Kirsch & Julianne Peloche; Sarah Ratner & the A-I-E-O-U team Education Leader Runner-Up of the Year: Jason Lodge  And finally, Winner of Winners  Dan's pick: Leigh Williams from Brisbane Catholic Education Ray's pick: Students in general      

This week delivered one of the biggest waves of AI news in recent memory - and Dan and Ray unpack what it all means for schools, universities and vocational education. From Microsoft's upcoming Copilot upgrades to Google's jaw-dropping Gemini 3 and Nano Banana Pro image model, the landscape for teachers shifted fast. They explore how these tools are already reshaping lesson design, image generation, student support and academic workflows - and why NotebookLM might quietly be the most important education tool Google has ever released. They also break down newly released case studies from the Australian Industry Group, discuss Claude's expansion through Azure, and look at how sectors like health, logistics and vocational training are adopting AI at speed. In the second half, the episode dives into three significant peer-reviewed research papers - including new evidence of gender bias in AI explanations, emerging AI-pedagogy frameworks, and fresh insights into how students actually use (and feel about) AI in their studies. News   Microsoft   Microsoft rolling more into the free version of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat https://www.theverge.com/news/822789/microsoft-copilot-chat-outlook-word-excel-powerpoint  Microsoft and NVIDIA invest $15 billion in Anthropic - and Anthropic agree to buy $30B of Microsoft's Azure  https://www.anthropic.com/news/microsoft-nvidia-anthropic-announce-strategic-partnerships  Google Useful review of Gemini 3 by Ethan Mollick https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/three-years-from-gpt-3-to-gemini  Examples of the infographics we created with Google's NotebookLM can be found on these two links: The podcast episode infographic from the Aaron Driver, of UNE, interview https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ai-in-education-podcast_aiineducation-notebooklm-podcast-activity-7398861734071083008-08GD The podcast series infographic from Series 14 "the Humans of AI" https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rayfleming_aiineducation-podcast-notebooklm-activity-7398515648089468928-vOUS  NotebookLM announcements https://x.com/notebooklm/status/1989078069454270649?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q  Google announce new Gemini certifications for education https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/gemini-certifications-education/  Cogniti 29 teachers sharing their stories about using AI with students https://cogniti.ai/2025-cogniti-mini-symposium-resources/  Anthropic   Anthropic partners with Rwandan Government and ALX to bring AI education to hundreds of thousands of learners across Africa https://www.anthropic.com/news/rwandan-government-partnership-ai-education  The London School of Economics has provided all students with access to Claude for Education https://www.lse.ac.uk/news/latest-news-from-lse/d-april/lse-partners-with-anthropic-to-shape-the-future-of-ai-in-education  OpenAI   OpenAI announce "ChatGPT for teachers" for US school teachers - and makes it free until the middle of 2027 https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-teachers/ https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12844995-chatgpt-for-teachers  First ChatGPT Edu deployment in Australian Vocational Education https://connectweb.com.au/news.aspx?id=1038171&headline=nexted-launches-australias-first-chatgpt-edu-deployment-in-vocational-education    Australian Industry Group Report: AI positive for companies, their people and Australian industry https://www.australianindustrygroup.com.au/news/reports/2025/artificial-intelligence-positive-for-companies-their-people-and-australian-industry/    Research   Gender equity in GenAI science explanations https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-395/gender-equity-in-genai-science-explanations https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriamhedlund_biasaware-aiineducation-genderbias-activity-7394637681978212352-1UUB    Bonus research mentioned: Sexist textbooks: Automated analysis of gender bias in 1,255 books from 34 countrieshttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11463758/    A dialogic theoretical foundation for integrating generative AI into pedagogical design https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjet.70026    Time, emotions and moral judgements: how university students position GenAI within their study https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07294360.2025.2580616   

In this episode, Ray sits down with Aaron Driver, Director of LabNext70 at the University of New England (UNE), a regional Australian university making one of the boldest moves in higher education: giving every staff member and every student access to a full enterprise AI platform. Aaron shares how UNE has built Madgwick, its white-labelled version of the SIMTheory AI platform, and why the university chose to go beyond standard tools like Copilot or ChatGPT for Education. With multi-model access, MCP connectors, and soon agentic capabilities, UNE staff have already created more than 3,000 AI assistants and reached an extraordinary 85% daily usage rate. The conversation dives into UNE's four big reasons for giving AI to all students - safety, job readiness, equity, and privacy - and how this move positions graduates for a job market where AI capability is no longer optional. Aaron also lifts the curtain on UNE's rapid cultural transformation, their sector-leading AI literacy programs, and the regional impact they hope to create by becoming Australia's most AI-enabled university. A fascinating look at a university rewriting the rulebook in real time. Bonus Links Aaron mentioned the SIMTheory Academy that his team runs, and recommended the free AI Quick Wins course for a good overview of what SIM Theory can do  

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Ray and Dan wrap up Series 14 with a packed news and research roundup. They start with the tricky world of AI governance in education, where Ray explains how schools and universities can simplify their policies instead of writing 26 new ones. The conversation then turns to a Washington Post piece on the rise of new AI-driven jobs - from conversation designers to human-AI collaboration leads - and what this means for the future of work and capability-building. They also unpack new insights from cechat about how teachers are creating and using AI agents, explore Microsoft's AI Diffusion report, and look at La Trobe University's staff chatbot, "Troby." They discuss Google's education research, Claude's pilot in Icelandic schools, and the latest update from OpenAI, before closing with a fascinating study on how students respond differently to teacher versus AI feedback. Listen in for practical insights, fresh data, and a few laughs along the way.   News   As AI reshapes the job market, here are 16 roles it has created - Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/29/ai-new-jobs/    CENet analyses teacher created AI agents https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cenet---catholic-education-network_aiwithheart-catholicschools-catholiceducation-activity-7393528419411668992-nQc1    Microsoft AI Diffusion research https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/group/aiei/ai-diffusion/    Mustafa Suleyman - Human super intelligence https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/microsoft-launches-superintelligence-team-targeting-medical-diagnosis-to-start/ar-AA1PWmIO    Microsoft will offer in-country data processing in Australia & UK for Microsoft 365 Copilot https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2025/11/04/microsoft-offers-in-country-data-processing-to-15-countries-to-strengthen-sovereign-controls-for-microsoft-365-copilot/    Case Study "La Trobe University supercharges academic productivity with AI and Copilot Studio" https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/guidance/case-studies/latrobe-supercharges   New Google paper on AI and the future of learning https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/ai-and-learning/    Iceland goes Anthropic https://www.anthropic.com/news/anthropic-and-iceland-announce-one-of-the-world-s-first-national-ai-education-pilots    Open AI - ChatGPT's new personalities https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/openai-says-the-brand-new-gpt-51-is-warmer-and-has-more-personality-options/ar-AA1QjoBA    Competitions for students to get involved in:   CSIRO want you to predict pasture biomass from images - global https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/csiro-biomass   United States Artificial Intelligence Institute Hackathon - US only https://www.usaii.org/ai-insights/usaii-kicks-off-the-ai-nextgen-challenge-2026-americas-largest-scholarship-program    How confidential is your chat with AI? https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/11/12/australia-national-security-chief-ai-speech-writing/    Research   Teacher, peer, or AI? Comparing effects of feedback sources in higher education https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266655732500059X       

In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, hosts Dan and Ray welcome Peta-Anne Toohey, Social Reciprocity Manager at Indigital, Australia's first Indigenous-owned digital training company. Together they explore how generative AI intersects with Indigenous knowledge systems, and why cultural safety, data sovereignty, and community-led design must be central to any tech or education initiative. Peta shares powerful stories from her work in Cape York, where communities are building digital skills on Country through augmented reality, drones, and caring-for-country technologies. She unpacks what it means to create culturally safe technologies, how free, prior and informed consent should shape AI use, and why decolonising how we think about technology is essential for equity in education. It's a fascinating discussion on how AI can empower, or endanger, Indigenous communities, and what educators and universities can learn from truly collaborative design. Find Peta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peta-anne-toohey/ Links - Organisations, people and projects mentioned InDigital - https://www.indigital.net.au/  Local Contexts - https://localcontexts.org/  Terri Janke - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Janke  Google's Indigenous Language Projects Google and language researchers team up to teach AI Aboriginal English https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/google-and-researchers-are-teaching-ai-aboriginal-english/1uuqtjkf8  Woolaroo: a new tool for exploring indigenous languages https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/arts-culture/woolaroo-new-tool-exploring-indigenous-languages/  Microsoft's Indigenous AI Projects Modis delivers first-of-its-kind Aboriginal language app to help break down communication barriers https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/modis-delivers-first-of-its-kind-aboriginal-language-app-to-help-break-down-communication-barriers/  AI technology helps protect sea turtle nests from feral pigs in north Queensland https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-18/turtle-feral-pig-threat-artificial-intelligence-science/13162536  AI transforms Kakadu management https://news.microsoft.com/en-au/features/ai-transforms-kakadu-management/   

Inside the AI Classroom: Dan & Ray's Big AI-in-Education Download In this fast-paced news roundup, Dan and Ray dive head-first into the latest research and developments shaping AI in education. From MIT's Perspectives for the Perplexed guide for schools, to McKinsey's take on "agentic AI," to Google's LearnLM experiments with AI-powered textbooks, the duo unpack what every educator needs to know right now. They explore what's happening inside classrooms, universities, and edtech labs — including new findings on AI literacy, evolving assessment design, and why "policing AI use" misses the point. Plus, they debate the rise of AI-integrated browsers like ChatGPT Atlas, what it means for assessment integrity, and how tools like Microsoft Copilot are reshaping both teaching and admin work. It's the ultimate AI-in-education briefing — thoughtful, fast, and full of insights (and laughs) from two of the field's most passionate voices. Here's all the links to news and research mentioned in the podcast (and, most importantly) the Two Ronnies Fork Handles sketch! Fork Handles https://youtu.be/sO6EE1xTXmw?si=5Iix8Jo_xiZCRVCn  News MIT "Guide to AI in Schools: Perspectives for the Perplexed" https://tsl.mit.edu/ai-guidebook/  https://tsl.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/GuideToAIInSchools.pdf  One year of agentic AI: Six lessons from the people doing the work https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/one-year-of-agentic-ai-six-lessons-from-the-people-doing-the-work  OpenAI Atlas (and Perplexity Comet) https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-atlas/  An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/an-opinionated-guide-to-using-ai  Google "Learn Your Way" pilot https://learnyourway.withgoogle.com/  Towards an AI-Augmented Textbook  https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13348   Experimentally Testing AI-Powered Content Transformations on Student Learning https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.18664    PEW Research into AI attitudes around the world https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/10/15/how-people-around-the-world-view-ai/  Copilot in Windows https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2025/10/16/making-every-windows-11-pc-an-ai-pc/  Copilot consumer updates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4jXM8yTdnQ&feature=youtu.be  M365 Copilot Education updates https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/education/blog/2025/10/designing-microsoft-365-copilot-to-empower-educators-students-and-staff/?msockid=0a3b30f5f88b6061226e245bf9b96140  BBC: The lecturers learning to spot AI misconduct https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kn3gn8vl9o  UNE are rolling out their Madgwick AI system to all students https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aaronbdriver_aiineducation-highered-enterpriseai-activity-7378920493543845888-aZ3I  Research The Bubble and Burner Model of AI-Infusion: A Framework for Teaching and Learning https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5501341  Firm or Fickle? Evaluating Large Language Models Consistency in Sequential Interactions https://aclanthology.org/2025.findings-acl.347/  GASLIGHTBENCH: Quantifying LLM Susceptibility to Social Prompting, https://openreview.net/forum?id=0BYRYwGCbK  What does 'good teaching' mean in the AI age? https://journals.sfu.ca/jalt/index.php/jalt/article/view/3649  How university students work on assessment tasks with generative artificial intelligence: matters of judgement https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2025.2570328  AI Knows Best? The Paradox Of Expertise, Ai-Reliance, And Performance In Educational Tutoring Decision-Making Tasks http://arxiv.org/pdf/2509.16772v1 

Becoming More Human in the Age of AI at University What happens when AI knows everything - and humans must rediscover what makes us unique? In this episode, host Ray Fleming sits down with Carlo Iacono, University Librarian at Charles Sturt University, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping not just libraries, but the very identity of education itself. Carlo shares how librarians are helping students and academics navigate AI's rapid rise - guiding them to think critically, question deeply, and find their authentic voice in an age of infinite information. Together, they unpack how AI is pushing universities to move beyond expertise and towards empathy, collaboration, and humility, and why becoming "more human" may be the most important skill of all. Read Carlo's writing on Hybrid Horizons: Exploring Human–AI Collaboration https://hybridhorizons.substack.com/  Follow Carlo on Twitter https://x.com/carloiaconowork  You may also find the Charles Sturt University Library website on Generative AI at University really useful https://libguides.csu.edu.au/generativeAI 

In this week's episode of the AI and Education Podcast, Ray and Dan dive into one of the most chaotic – and entertaining – weeks in AI news so far. From councils losing millions to AI-powered scams to the idea of having a "family safe word," this one swings between hilarious and hair-raising. They unpack what's new in AI assessment research - including TEQSA's AI guidance for universities, the "wicked problem" of AI and assessment, and why Turnitin's detection tools are under fire (again). You'll hear how South Australia's EdChat report shows teachers and students deepening their learning with AI, and which countries are quietly leading the world in classroom AI use (spoiler: it's not who you think). Plus, a few surprise stats on politeness and prompt-writing - turns out being rude to AI might actually get better results. We've just arrived on YouTube and TikTok! YT Channel - the podcast in video form, and Shorts https://www.youtube.com/@aiineducationpodcast  TikTok https://tiktok.com/@aipodcast.educati Links to news items discussed AI Safety https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-14/noosa-council-scam-mayor-blames-ai-imitation/105887962  Mike Tholfsen's Microsoft 365 Copilot Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOJliF-Cn4  South Australia's Edchat Insights Report https://www.education.sa.gov.au/docs/ict/edchat-insights-report.pdf  Enacting assessment reform in a time of artificial intelligence  https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/resources/corporate-publications/enacting-assessment-reform-time-artificial-intelligence     And the link to 'Assessment reform for the age of artificial intelligence' - https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/resources/corporate-publications/assessment-reform-age-artificial-intelligence   Syracuse University gives Claude Education to all students and staff https://news.syr.edu/2025/09/22/syracuse-university-among-first-universities-to-provide-campuswide-ai-access-to-anthropics-claude-for-education/ Jordan - the whole country, one man chat app for education https://x.com/cryptoprio/status/1974040334737846279?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q  California Community Colleges also rolling out Nectir to staff and students https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/10/06/california-community-colleges-ai-nectir-tutors  2025 "State of AI" report https://www.stateof.ai/  Oxford University Press report on AI use by UK school students https://fdslive.oup.com/www.oup.com/oxed/secondary/Teaching_the_AI_Native_Generation.pdf?internal=true  OECD's latest Teaching and Learning International Survey https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/results-from-talis-2024_90df6235-en.html  University wrongly accuses students of using artificial intelligence to cheat https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-09/artificial-intelligence-cheating-australian-catholic-university/105863524 ACU's checklist for spotting AI written text: https://staff.acu.edu.au/our_university/news/2025/march/turnitin-ai-indicator-tool  And in researching this, I also stumbled across the Wikipedia page "Signs of AI Writing" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing  And that includes things like "LLMs overuse the rule of three - 'the good, the bad and the ugly'"; the use of Title Case; and our old friends em dashes and emojis. And if you really want to go down the rabbit hole, read the 'Talk' tab on that page, were people are discussing their own opinions/beliefs on this. Research The wicked problem of AI and assessment https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02602938.2025.2553340  Reimagining the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale: A refined framework for educational assessment https://open-publishing.org/journals/index.php/jutlp/article/view/1707  Assessment Twins: A Protocol for AI-Vulnerable Summative Assessment https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.02929  Heads we win, tails you lose: AI detectors in education. https://osf.io/preprints/edarxiv/93w6j_v1  What Does YouTube Advise Students About Bypassing AIText Detection Tools? A Pragmatic Analysis https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10805-025-09675-3? sharing_token=kzKMqOrKt2K7wqe8A4GjkPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY4_QVVFXJUooOb6QsKcPKSMAsHQtQeY4Cum-OXBICfYzSVfT9TAv2Z95XVx8D3vm13plNOq1vh5iCbse0XidDrUCW182PR7BzDUTrlz7Gv1UGB5U-ao_gJKy9vc-WRHd_U%3D  Mind Your Tone: Investigating How Prompt Politeness Affects LLM Accuracy https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.04950 

Humans in AI – Creativity, Wellbeing & Technology in Education a researchers perspective Guest: Dr Rebecca Marrone, Lecturer & Researcher, University of South Australia   In this episode, Dan and Ray welcome Dr Rebecca Marrone to discuss the intersection of AI, creativity, and wellbeing in education. Her research explores how technology, especially AI, is transforming the educational landscape for both teachers and students.   Key Topics AI's Impact on Teacher & Student Wellbeing Creativity & Critical Thinking in the Age of AI Ethical Risks of AI in Education Strategies for digital wellbeing and critical engagement. The evolving role of soft skills alongside technological advancements. Connect & Learn More For more about Dr Rebecca Marrone's research, listeners can reach out directly or explore her work online.   Find Rebecca on Linkedin and read her research publications via   Google Scholar‬     We mentioned Rebecca and Vitomir's critique of the Brainrot study https://theconversation.com/mit-researchers-say-using-chatgpt-can-rot-your-brain-the-truth-is-a-little-more-complicated-259450    In the podcast Rebecca highlighted George Siemens' research and newsletters: Newsletter archive: https://buttondown.com/SAIL/archive/ Google Scholar profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EtknWk4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao    Research mentioned during this episode   Marrone, R., Taddeo, V., & Hill, G. (2022). Creativity and artificial intelligence—A student perspective. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), 65. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-3200/10/3/65?trk=public_post_reshare-text    Marrone, R., Zamecnik, A., Joksimovic, S., Johnson, J., & De Laat, M. (2025). Understanding student perceptions of artificial intelligence as a teammate. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 30(3), 1847-1869. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10758-024-09780-z    Marrone, R., Cropley, D. H., & Wang, Z. (2022). Automatic Assessment of Mathematical Creativity using Natural Language Processing. Creativity Research Journal, 35(4), 661–676. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2022.2131209    Cropley, D. H., Theurer, C., Mathijssen, A. C. S., & Marrone, R. L. (2024). Fit-For-Purpose Creativity Assessment: Automatic Scoring of the Test of Creative Thinking – Drawing Production (TCT-DP). Creativity Research Journal, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419.2024.2339667 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2024.2339667       

This week, Dan and Ray bring a whirlwind of AI news, research, and reflection from across the education world. From South Australia and New South Wales announcing state-wide AI chatbot rollouts for schools, to Oxford University embracing ChatGPT Education for all staff and students, the scale of adoption is hard to ignore. The hosts explore what these bold moves mean for schools, universities, and the future of assessment. They highlight contrasts between Australia's rapid school-level deployments and the slower university approach, and compare these with global examples such as Arizona State University's 158,000-student rollout. The conversation doesn't stop at institutions. Ray and Dan unpack new releases from Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google - including multi-model Copilot, parental controls in ChatGPT, and the startling realism of Sora 2 videos. They also reflect on recent surveys showing student demand for clearer AI guidance. Packed with insights, surprises, and a few laughs, this episode shows why AI in education is evolving faster than ever.   Links and References News SA High Schools get EdChat for all students https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-15/education-chat-gpt-style-ai-app-to-roll-out-to-sa-high-schools/105772944   NSW EduChat for all staff and students in Years 5 to 12 in NSW government schools https://www.instagram.com/reel/DO7VOVNiAGA/?igsh=YzdlOHlvajFsMmMw   ASU signs up for ChatGPT Edu for every staff member, researcher and student https://tech.asu.edu/features/asu-and-openai-expand-collaboration-scaling-ai    UNSW signs Australia's biggest education deal with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT to staff https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2025/09/unsw-sydney-inks-australias-biggest-chatgpt-edu-deal-with-openai    Oxford University in the UK just announced they'd do it for all staff and students https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-09-19-oxford-becomes-first-uk-university-offer-chatgpt-edu-all-staff-and-students    Google signs up 2 million students and staff via California Community Colleges https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/News-and-Media/Press-Releases/2025-ai-partnership-with-google    Microsoft M365 Copilot Chat now free in Office apps https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-copilot-chat-in-microsoft-365-apps-676db5e8-9568-4bdb-bf0b-e207e29e056b    Copilot now allows Claude/Anthropic models for Researcher & Agents https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/blog/copilot-studio/anthropic-joins-the-multi-model-lineup-in-microsoft-copilot-studio/    OpenAI launch parental controls for ChatGPT https://x.com/openai/status/1972604360204210600?s=46&t=p57lLRpTCXGNBiwhIjsl7Q    OpenAI release Sora2 OpenAI on X: https://t.co/QHDxq6ubGt    OpenAI Prompt Packs https://academy.openai.com/public/tags/prompt-packs-6849a0f98c613939acef841c  Prompt Guides for education: K12 IT Managers https://academy.openai.com/public/blogs/k-12-prompt-pack-for-it-staff  Faculty https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/higher-education-05x4z/resources/prompt-pack-for-faculty  School administrators https://academy.openai.com/public/clubs/higher-education-05x4z/resources/prompt-pack-for-administrators    Google Homework Help story https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/09/18/google-homework-help-ai-cheating-schools-colleges/    Google is indexing ChatGPT conversations, potentially exposing sensitive user data https://www.fastcompany.com/91376687/google-indexing-chatgpt-conversations    IPSOS Education Monitor https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2025-08/Education_Monitor_AU_country_2025_v1.pdf    You gov survey on UK student use of AI https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/52855-how-are-uk-students-really-using-ai    Exam Hack AI https://examhackai.site/    Arden University students get AI detector shut down https://www.ardenstudents.org/news/article/6013/Turnitin-AI-Detector-Shut-it-down/      Research   Prompt Injection Attacks on LLM Generated Reviews of Scientific Publications https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.10248v2     The Transparency Dilemma: How AI disclosure erodes trust https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749597825000172