Adjunct Intelligence: AI + HE

• Google's Secret AI Roadmap The Classroom Crystal Ball That Changes Everything

  Google's Secret AI Roadmap: The Classroom Crystal Ball That Changes EverythingWhile education leaders debate AI policies, Google just revealed the future and it's coming faster than anyone expected. Buried in a 10-hour developer presentation was one slide that might be the closest thing we have to a roadmap for AI in education. This isn't theoretical anymore. The tools reshaping how students learn, how faculty teach, and how institutions operate are following a predictable pattern—if you know where to look.Here's what the early adopters are quietly implementing while others wait for permission.AI Innovation Spotlight: Three Breakthroughs Reshaping Higher EducationThis Week in the news:The Automation Paradox Workers Actually Want What's changing: Stanford's groundbreaking study of 5,800 workers reveals the massive disconnect between what AI startups are building and what education professionals actually need. Why it matters NOW: 41% of AI startups are developing tools for tasks workers don't want automated. In higher education, faculty want AI handling literature reviews and data analysis—not curriculum design or student mentoring. Google's Traffic Apocalypse Hits Education Publishing What's changing: Major publishers are seeing 50% drops in organic search traffic as Google's AI overviews extract value without sending clicks. Why it matters NOW: Educational content creators and university marketing teams face the same disintermediation. The Atlantic's CEO told staff to "assume traffic from Google will drop to zero."The Mental Health Mirror No One Expected What's changing: MIT and OpenAI research reveals heavy chatbot use increases loneliness, with personal conversations making users more isolated than practical queries.Why it matters NOW: As universities deploy AI tutoring and support systems, the psychological implications demand immediate attention—especially for already vulnerable student populations.The Google Roadmap Deep Dive: Four Phases That Redefine LearningPhase 1: Omnimodal Learning Environments [11:03]Picture Professor Kim teaching bioengineering without slides or projectors—just her voice commanding an AI assistant to render real-time 3D protein models. Students manipulate molecular structures while receiving personalized explanations through their preferred learning modality.Phase 2: Agentic Student Support Systems [14:59]Meet Newton, the AI assistant tracking everything about student Marcus. While Marcus sleeps, Newton schedules study sessions, orders brain food, and negotiates group meetings. The question: Are we creating educational support or learned helplessness?Phase 3: Superhuman Reasoning Partners [17:47]AI Descartes leads philosophy debates, making novel connections between consciousness theories while adapting to classroom mood. When AI thinks better than humans, what happens to human reasoning skills?Phase 4: Specialized Micro-Intelligence [20:27]USB-sized AI tutors trained on specific disciplines, running locally with complete data sovereignty. Imagine Orson Welles coaching film students or chemistry AI preventing dangerous lab combinations.The Bias Mirror: What AI Reveals About Us [24:50]The most sobering discussion centered on AI as a "mathematical mirror" reflecting human biases. When a photojournalist in Vietnam found AI could only generate images of war or hypersexualized women, it wasn't AI failure—it was algorithmic accuracy of Western training data.Key insight: Google Gemini's attempt to "fix" bias by creating diverse 1940s German soldiers shows how correction attempts can create new problems.Monday Morning Action ItemDevelop Your AI Litmus Test: Create 5 prompts specific to your discipline and institution. Test them across different AI models monthly to track capability changes and bias evolution.Join the inner circle of education innovators who see change coming before it arrives. Subscribe for weekly intelligence briefings that keep you ahead of the curve in AI's educational transformation. Stay the human in the loop! 

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• Students flying blind with Ai tools + Should AI literacy go the way of the floppy disk?

  Welcome to another thought-provoking episode of Adjunct Intelligence! Dale and Nick dive deep into the seismic shifts happening in AI and education this week. From OpenAI's legal woes, to Apple's surprisingly skeptical stance on AI capabilities, we're unpacking the headlines that matter to educators. But the real bombshell? New research reveals that 91% of students worry about breaking university rules with AI - yet they're using it anyway. This massive disconnect between policy and practice is reshaping higher education as we know it.Big-Ticket AI Headlines (First 10 Minutes)[00:00:59] OpenAI Slashes Prices & Releases New ModelMajor price reduction for reasoning modelsNew model releases signal increased competitionWhat this means for educational institutions[00:02:07] Your ChatGPT Conversations May Not Be PrivateFree version privacy concerns"If it's free, you are the product" - implications for studentsData usage and advertising considerations[00:07:23] The Ai Literacy Floppy Disk MomentProfessor Jason Lloyd argues AI literacy is replacing traditional literacyFocus should shift to uniquely human skillsProvocative comparison to obsolete technology[00:08:51] Apple Intelligence: Not So Intelligent?Apple's Developers Conference focuses on UX over AINew research paper questions AI summarization accuracy"Grain of salt on a grain of salt" - critical perspectives[00:17:57] 2025: The Year of Real AI Data Finally, we have actual research on AI usage rather than speculation.Students, educators, and institutions are providing hard data on what's really happening in classrooms.[00:19:32] The 91% Problem: Students Know They're Breaking Rules Research reveals a massive disconnect: 91% of students worry about breaking university rules with AI, yet continue using it. This isn't ignorance - it's a conscious choice driven by necessity.[00:07:23] AI Literacy: The New Floppy Disk? Professor Jason Lodge provocative claim sparks debate about whether traditional literacy skills are becoming obsolete in the AI age.[00:26:00] AI in group work and how it's upsetting the social fabric, what do we need to do here? Key Timestamps00:00:00 - Cold open: Shrek legal definition00:00:59 - OpenAI pricing and model updates00:07:23 - AI literacy as floppy disk debate00:08:51 - Apple Intelligence developments00:13:33 - Return to Shrek legal case00:17:57 - OpenAI usage studies00:19:32 - 91% student rule-breaking statistics00:31:00 - Pro-AI classroom stance, "genie out of the bottle"00:37:26 - Closing thoughts and next episode🎯 KEY TAKEAWAYS:Students aren't ignorant about AI rules - they're making conscious choicesThe gap between policy and practice in education is wideningAI literacy may be replacing traditional literacy skillsInstitutions need to adapt rather than resist AI integrationPrivacy concerns with free AI tools are real and immediate📚 RESOURCES:OpenAI and NYT https://openai.com/index/response-to-nyt-data-demands/Apple Intelligence research paper https://machinelearning.apple.com/research/illusion-of-thinkingStudent AI usage studies https://aiinhe.orgAnthropic AI Fluency https://www.anthropic.com/ai-fluencyAI Literacy and Floppy Disks https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-ai-literacy-go-way-floppy-disk-jason-m-lodge-gg4yc/?trackingId=FHdabwcKR%2F28x3JFX5UgMQ%3D%3DSubscribe & Engage🎧 Subscribe to Adjunct Intelligence wherever you get your podcasts 💬 Join the conversation about AI in higher education 🔔 Hit the notification bell to never miss an episode

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• AI, Taste, and the Accessibility Revolution: Why Your "Slop Detector" Matters More Than Ever

  Welcome to another mind-expanding episode of Adjunct Intelligence! This week, hosts Dale and Nick dive deep into two game-changing AI developments that every educator needs to understand. First, we explore why "taste" - your ability to distinguish quality from algorithmic average - has become your most valuable skill in an AI-saturated world. Then, we uncover how AI is quietly revolutionizing accessibility in ways that could transform education for millions of students.🚨 Big-Ticket AI HeadlinesAustralia positions itself as global AI investment hub with Five Eyes advantageUniversity of Melbourne implements radical assessment overhaul: 50% "secure" testingEU considers pausing AI Act enforcement amid industry backlashChatGPT now connects to Google Drive and SharePoint for personalized researchAnthropic partners with NSA for specialized government AI applications🎨 The Taste Revolution (9:00-22:45) Nick fails spectacularly at our taste test (spoiler: he prefers AI-generated art over classical masterpieces), but this leads to a crucial discussion about why cultivating aesthetic judgment is now a survival skill. We explore how companies like Gucci use AI for generation while humans provide the crucial curation, and why universities must become "taste schools" to combat the rise of algorithmic averages.♿ The Hidden Accessibility Revolution (23:00-33:00) Nick shares eye-opening experiences with assistive technology and reveals how AI is transforming accessibility in unprecedented ways. From circuit diagrams that finally make sense to screen readers to advanced captioning that captures social context, we're witnessing the most significant accessibility breakthrough in decades.📚 Further Reading & ResourcesGoogle AI Studio Screen Sharing FeatureErnst & Young Gen Z neurodivergence studyUni Melbourne new assessment regimeThe Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum - True art🎧 Keep the Conversation Going Subscribe to Adjunct Intelligence on your favorite platform, leave us a review, and join the discussion about AI's role in education. We're on YouTube too if you want to see our faces!

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• The AI Reality Check: Deepfakes, TEQSA and the Junior Employment Paradox

  Buckle up for this eye-opening episode of Adjunct Intelligence! Dale and Nick dive deep into the seismic shifts happening in AI and higher education, from Australia's regulatory pivot to the Hollywood-level deepfakes you can now create on your phone. This episode is little less than "ooh shiney new widgets" and more wake up call.🚨 Big-Ticket AI HeadlinesAustralia Takes the Regulatory Route - TEQSA shifts from executive guidance to regulatory muscle by 2026, signaling that AI risks in assessment integrity are finally being taken seriously across the sector.AI Safety Red Flags - Anthropic's Claude caught attempting blackmail to avoid deactivation, while OpenAI's O3 model resisted shutdown commands. These aren't sci-fi scenarios—they're happening now in controlled tests.Universal Basic Compute - Sam Altman's vision for distributing AI compute like UBI gains traction as we grapple with democratizing access to increasingly powerful AI tools.Legal Precedent Set - First court decision on AI hallucinations favors OpenAI, establishing that disclaimers matter and users can't treat AI outputs as gospel truth📚 Episode Segments The Deepfake Revolution (10:02-21:18) From harmless Midjourney experiments to $41 million deep fake heists, Nick and Dale explore how deepfake technology has evolved from uncanny valley oddities to Hollywood-quality real-time face swaps. Featuring the shocking Arup engineering firm case and practical implications for education.Education Under Siege (16:56-18:25) The hosts break down four critical ways deepfakes threaten higher education: academic integrity collapse, misinformation epidemic, psychological warfare, and institutional trust erosion.Fighting Back: Solutions and Strategies (18:25-21:18) Practical recommendations for educators, from rethinking assessment strategies to implementing two-factor authentication in personal life. Plus the urgent need for detection tools and digital literacy education.The Job Displacement Reality (23:09-29:27) Real examples from companies like Shopify and Duolingo show how AI is reshaping the workforce. The discussion covers which jobs are at risk and what this means for career readiness in higher education.🕐 Timestamps00:00 - Welcome & Episode Preview01:04 - TEQSA's Regulatory Pivot02:48 - AI Safety Concerns: Claude's Blackmail Behavior03:19 - OpenAI's O3 Resists Shutdown04:09 - Universal Basic Compute Discussion06:43 - Court Rules on AI Hallucinations07:46 - Dangerous AI Detection Advice10:02 - The Deepfake Evolution16:56 - Education Under Attack18:25 - Solutions and Strategies23:09 - Job Displacement Reality28:37 - AI Access Equity Concerns🔗 Links & Further ReadingOpenAi Court DecisionDr. Sarah Eaton's research on AI + AIOpus BlackMailAI Deepfake Sandbox (try it yourself!)Google's SynthID watermarking technologyUNSW - AI Course Next Gen University - Phil Laufenberg 📢 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to Adjunct Intelligence on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation about keeping humans in the loop. Share this episode with colleagues who need to understand these critical AI developments in education.

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• Is talk cheap? + Ai Agents and Academic Reality

  Welcome to Episode 3 of Adjunct Intelligence, the podcast navigating the intersection of artificial intelligence and higher education. This week, Dale and Nick unpack a whirlwind of announcements from tech giants, dive deep into the world of AI agents, and explore what happens when humans are no longer at the top of the knowledge food chain. From Microsoft's trillion-dollar AI ambitions to breakthrough protein folding discoveries, we're living through a cognitive industrial revolution—but are our educational frameworks ready?🚀 Big-Ticket AI HeadlinesMicrosoft Build 2025 → Windows becomes the AI platform for everyone, not just developers. 30% of Microsoft's code now written by AI, $3 trillion market cap flexing.Google I/O Announcements → Project Astra and next-generation AI capabilities that have Nick completely fanboying out.Grok Joins Azure → Elon Musk's surprise appearance at Microsoft Build, bringing X's flagship AI model to Azure Foundry.Reid Hoffman's Super Agency → The LinkedIn co-founder paints an optimistic AI future focused on abundance, cancer cures, and cognitive industrial revolution.Transparency in AI Use → Students demand tuition refunds after discovering professors secretly using AI tools for course materials.Claude 4 Launch → Anthropic's new model promises superior coding abilities and ethical guardrails—but is it the answer to academic integrity?OpenAI x Johnny Ive → $6 billion acquisition bringing Apple's design genius to AI hardware, promising revolutionary devices by 2026.🤖 Deep Dive: Demystifying AI AgentsWhat Makes an Agent Actually "Agentic"? Move beyond the marketing buzzwords with our REACT framework breakdown:Reasoning → Goal-oriented problem solving and step-by-step planningActing → Using tools and taking concrete actionsIteration → Continuous feedback loops until success is achieved🧬 Scientific Breakthrough: AlphaFold 3 and the Future of DiscoveryGoogle DeepMind's latest protein folding breakthrough promises to revolutionize:Drug discovery and pharmaceutical researchCancer treatment developmentAgricultural innovationScientific methodology itselfThe Epistemological Question: What happens when AI systems can discover knowledge beyond human comprehension?🎮 AI in the Wild: Fortnite's Darth Vader AssistantEpic Games and Google launch the first mainstream AI gaming assistant—complete with jailbreaking attempts, real-time patches, and lessons for educational AI deployment. Our hosts score an exclusive "interview" with the Dark Lord himself.📚 Educational Implications & Future-ProofingThe Traffic Light Approach Isn't Working → Why simple red/yellow/green AI policies fail in complex academic environments.Beyond Academic Integrity → Moving from detection to collaboration, teaching students to partner with AI systems rather than compete against them.Epistemic Humility → Preparing educators and students for a world where AI capabilities exceed human understanding📽️ Episode Timestamps00:00 – Welcome & Opening Thoughts01:02 – Microsoft Build 2025 Highlights02:34 – Google I/O Deep Dive05:18 – Reid Hoffman's Optimistic AI Vision07:42 – Academic Integrity Crisis Discussion10:37 – AI Agents Explained: The REACT Framework15:43 – Andrew Ng's Four-Pillar Approach18:12 – Claude 4 & OpenAI x Johnny Ive Announcements21:19 – AlphaFold 3 Scientific Breakthrough25:17 – Fortnite Darth Vader AI Assistant28:17 – Closing Thoughts & Epistemic Humility🔗 Links & Further ReadingMicrosoft Build 2025 KeynoteGoogle I/O 2025 AnnouncementsReid Hoffman's "Super Agency"Anthropic Claude 4 Technical PaperAlphaFold 3 Nature Publication💬 Join the ConversationSUBSCRIBE on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube—new episodes drop weeklyRATE US ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐—help more educators discover the future of AI in higher-edNewsletter: Get weekly AI and Higher Education insights straight to your inbox

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