Show Notes
It’s a pivotal time for democracy because of the rise of AI. What role should colleges play? For this episode Jeff headed to Washington, DC to sit down with Mark Fisher, the director of a new center at Georgetown University exploring the intersection of AI and democratic citizenship. Fisher points out that democracy has changed before as new tech tools emerged. And he says scholars from many disciplines will need to team up to meet the challenges of this moment.
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Clay Shirky leads AI efforts at New York University, and in recent months he’s had faculty approach him with a complaint: The advice he gave them on how to teach with AI wasn’t working. Meanwhile an anonymous NYU student posted a plea on Reddit saying he couldn’t stop himself from using AI on homework even though it was stopping him from learning. So Shirky is pivoting, looking for new ways to change assessments and encourage more social interactions among students.
The Gates Foundation recently pledged $1 billion over two years for AI efforts, with a large share going to education. Why the big AI push, even as Bill Gates warns of the technology's possible downsides for society? For this episode, Jeff talked with Patrick Methvin, interim president of U.S. programs at the Gates Foundation, who argues that the foundation can play a unique role as a bridge between educators and frontier AI labs. So what does the foundation see as the most effective uses of AI in education, and how is it guarding against unintended consequences?
MIT has long been known for its quirky student culture, where collaborating on problem sets is a frequent form of socializing. But a new internal report warns that AI is changing all that, as more students turn to chatbots rather than classmates when they’re stuck. The report, which is sparking discussion across higher ed and even in some media reports, argues that this esteemed university needs to reboot all aspects of teaching and assessment now that AI can complete just about any assignment a professor can hand out. Can AI be part of the answer to preserving social learning at universities?
For the Season 1 finale, Jeff checks in with a mix of professors and students he interviewed over the podcast’s first year. And he identified three key tensions that colleges struggle with the most when it comes to AI. Plus, a look at what’s new with AI on campus as a new academic year begins.
The liberal arts are having a moment these days. As AI tools are automating knowledge work, there’s a growing sense that the best way to get a job now is to have skills that robots are still terrible at — like leading teams and communicating with other humans. Leaders of AI projects at Carleton College argue that liberal arts colleges are also ideally suited to adapt to AI. Jeff visited Carleton to test that theory, and found two faculty groups with very different views on AI. This episode first ran in April.