AI in Education Podcast

This week on the AI in Education Podcast, Ray is taking a well-earned break, hopefully enjoying a piña colada somewhere sunny while still keeping one eye on the week's AI headlines.  Joining Dan as special co-host is Chris Goodall, education leader from the Bourne Education Trust in the UK. Together they unpack one of the most extraordinary weeks of AI news in recent memory, from warnings of existential risk and calls to slow AI development, through to debates about trust, regulation and whether "move fast and break things" is finally coming to an end.
 
The conversation then shifts to back to education, where the release of the latest PISA results has reignited debates about screen time, technology and student outcomes. Are laptops really to blame for declining results? Or are we falling into the trap of confusing correlation with causation?
 
Note: This episode was recorded before the news of the OpenAI Australian government Medicare hack, details of which can be found here: Why Australia chose the world's biggest political stage to reveal OpenAI hack
Sources mentioned
Chris Goodall | LinkedIn
Screentime limits in public schools to lift our game in the classroom
Mustafa Suleyman: A Code of Conduct for Humanist AI
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei Calls for AI Development to Slow Down
David McCandless: Information is Beautiful
Ex-Anthropic Insider Discusses AI Risk on CNN
Vibe coding - Wikipedia
Ban the Screens, Keep the Regret: A Rant I Had to Get Out of My System
Occam's Broom in the Classroom - Lauren Sayer
Michelle Michaels thought piece - an excellent narrative on the nuiances behind the current news of technology in classroom as always

AI is already changing education. So why are we still trying to hold back the tide?
In this episode, Dan and Ray are joined by Dr Phil Cummins, educator, author, co-host of the Game Changers podcast, and Professor of Practice in Education and Leadership at the University of Sydney.
Phil argues that education needs to stop "pearl-clutching" over AI and start thinking seriously about what it means for assessment, curriculum and the role of teachers. If students are already using AI, how do we design authentic assessment around the knowledge, skills, dispositions, habits and wisdom we actually want them to develop?
The conversation ranges from Phil's beginnings teaching Latin to character education, equity, oracy and the danger of educational fads. At its heart is a powerful argument for the enduring importance of teachers: technology should amplify human relationships, not replace them.
For school leaders, Phil's message is refreshingly straightforward: treat AI as a game, learn to use the tools, and find a way to win the game of AI.
Links for more information
A School for tomorrow, Phil's education consulting/research organisation
Game Changers podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/game-changers/id1503430745 
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WoY7gvWZUWt4Iu3gL2atd?si=41f298a05db2415f 
Sydney Character Initiative from the University of Sydney

Phil's latest book, On Character


And finally, if you're not sure about the reference to "The Solihull Hospital", then you're in for a treat from the BBC's "Yes, Minister" series: Get some patients - Yes, Minister - BBC

Recorded live at the National Education Summit in Melbourne, this episode explores whether AI in education has reached an inflection point.
Ray and Dan unpack a series of recent stories showing how quickly AI is becoming part of wider debates about education, employment, policy and trust. They look at industrial negotiations at the University of Sydney, where staff are seeking consultation over how AI is introduced, and compare that with AI-related provisions already included in Adelaide University's enterprise agreement. As part of the discussion they mentioned The University of Sydney's Cogniti AI, and a previous podcast episode with Dan Hart talking about the university's AI Hub.
They also examine headlines claiming an AI chatbot is "teaching" psychology students at Macquarie University - and the university's response that the tool is supplementary and does not replace academic staff.
The conversation then turns to New York City's restrictions on generative AI for younger students, alongside plans for AI critical-thinking education in high schools.
Underlying it all is a bigger question: as AI becomes mainstream in education, can the conversation remain balanced - and should the podcast hear more from sceptics, critics and those challenging the direction of travel?
Want to contribute to the discussion? Email us at host@aipodcast.education
Want to share your love for the podcast? Well, we can't ask for more than a review in your podcast app, which will help other educators find the stories we share!

What does authorship mean when AI can help us turn our ideas into polished academic writing? And how should universities rethink assessment as those tools become part of everyday life?
In this episode, we're joined by Kelly Webb-Davies, Lead Education AI Consultant at the University of Oxford's AI Competency Centre, to explore how Oxford is approaching AI across the institution, from providing tools and training staff and students to building AI capability responsibly.
Kelly takes us on her journey in teaching and learning, and challenges some fundamental assumptions about language, writing and authorship. Drawing on her background in linguistics and education, she argues that we need to distinguish between a student's intellectual contribution and the language used to express it.
Along the way, we discuss AI detection, linguistic equity, cognitive engagement, oral assessment and why universities may need to rethink what they're actually trying to assess.
Further Reading from Kelly:
Kelly's VFWA Assessment Model
https://kellywebbdavies.com/vfwa/ 
Kelly's DETAP framework
https://kellywebbdavies.com/detap/  
The AI Inherent Risk Scale (AIIRS) Framework, from Kelly, Dr Mark Bassett and Ella Wicks
https://aiirs.ai/ 
Further reading from other sources:
Kelly talked about the ICAP Framework from ASU
https://icap.education.asu.edu/ 
When talking about writing in your voice, Kelly mentioned Kane Murdoch's blog, which is at https://www.guerillawarfare.net/ 
And Dan mentioned Sharon Oviatt's book, The Design of Future Educational Interfaces
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286180010_The_Design_of_Future_Educational_Interfaces

Who gets to decide how AI is used in education? Government decides what happens to assessment. Google decides whether Gemini appears by default. OpenAI and parents decide controls for teenagers. Universities and unions decide workplace AI arrangements. Regulators decide expectations around consent. And schools are trying to work out what they should decide.
In this episode, Dan and Ray explore that question through a packed week of AI in education news. They look at Australia's response to AI and take-home assessment, the arrival of parental controls in ChatGPT for Teens, and why Ray is uncomfortable with Google enabling Gemini by default for students.
The conversation moves from the classroom to the workplace, with Adelaide University putting AI transparency, human oversight and staff consultation into its enterprise agreement, while new ASQA guidance raises important questions about consent and the use of student data in AI systems.
They also unpack new Australian eSafety research into children's use of AI assistants and companions, and tackle the increasingly heated debate about data centres, energy and water use.
As Ray puts it, "We're building this plane as we fly it." The challenge is making sure education still gets a say in where it's going.
Here's the links to go deeper into our topics:
Watch: Moment robot beats Usain Bolt's 100m record in China
How education departments across the country are cracking down on students using AI to cheat
Education Minister Jason Clare says AI must support learning, not replace it
Revealed: The NSW universities using AI in lectures and as 'study buddies' 
AI labs begin to muscle in on $6tn education market
Datacentres: The New NSW Regulations
ChatGPT for Teens
Google turns on Gemini AI for students using its classroom app
An Australian first: Adelaide University's new enterprise agreement has explicit provisions on the use of AI in the workplace.
Australia's Vocational Education regulator starts to catch up with responsible AI
Talking to machines: Children's experiences with AI assistants and companions
As discussed, good stuff on this from Tim kitchen
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-ai-becomes-someone-talk-tim-kitchen-3vznc