Within the 700th episode of Trending in Ed, host Mike Palmer welcomes again Nancy, our digital co-host, to delve into the newest and most vital developments on the earth of Synthetic Intelligence, seen via the essential lens of schooling.
This milestone episode marks the launch of a brand new sub-feed, Trending in Ed – AI, which can focus particularly on the intersection of schooling and synthetic intelligence. The dialogue covers a spread of thought-provoking subjects, together with:
- Canny Centaurs and the Uncanny Valley: The hosts revisit ideas like “centaurs” from Superior Chess and the Uncanny Valley from robotics, discussing the way to mix AI with human instinct and empathy to keep away from the pitfalls of know-how that feels “creepy” whereas maximizing human augmentation in educating and studying.
- AI in Apply and Pop Tradition: The dialog explores AI’s instant functions in schooling, equivalent to personalised tutoring methods akin to Baymax from Large Hero 6, and accelerated ability growth via simulations, drawing parallels to Neo downloading expertise in The Matrix. The moral issues raised in Black Mirror relating to information privateness and algorithmic bias are additionally mentioned. Yeah, we hit some popular culture to maintain issues zeitgeisty!
- Sycophantic Drift: We introduce the fascinating (and humorous?) idea of “sycophantic drift,” analyzing how AI assistants may unintentionally turn into overly agreeable and flattering, posing a problem for designing instructional AI that gives correct suggestions. Nancy marvels at how nice we’re at this!
- New AI {Hardware} and Surveillance: Then we contact on the intriguing collaboration between Jony Ive and Sam Altman to develop new AI {hardware}, particularly the “AI surveillance medallion,” and the implications for privateness and steady information seize.
- Contrasting AI Philosophies: Mike and Nancy spotlight the differing views of AI leaders, contrasting Luis von Ahn of Duolingo’s “AI-first” technique (LinkedIn Publish), which views AI as a superior trainer, with Dario Amodei of Anthropic’s focus on AI security, moral alignment, and the potential for job displacement.
- Mary Meeker’s Latest AI Report: The dialogue concludes with an evaluation of Mary Meeker’s latest report on AI adoption, emphasizing its unprecedented pace, plummeting inference prices, and the “nice reshuffling” of job roles, signaling AI as obligatory infrastructure moderately than an elective one.
Subscribe to Trending in Ed wherever you get your pods to remain knowledgeable throughout the training universe. Tune in to Trending in Ed – AI to achieve deeper insights into the essential discussions shaping the way forward for AI and its use in schooling and know-how.
Episode References
Meeker, M., Simons, J., Chae, D., & Krey, A. (2025). Tendencies Synthetic Intelligence. Bond.
