Learning Curve
Episodes
The AI Optimist Researching ‘Cognitive Surrender’
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A new paper warns of the dangers of people blindly adopting AI results in what researchers call "cognitive surrender." The lead author believes that w...
Are Liberal Arts Colleges Winning in the AI Era?
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How Colleges Can Safeguard Democracy in an AI Era
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
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 inter...
A Tale of Two AI Design Projects
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to teach art and design when free AI tools can generate sophisticated images in just a few seconds? For this episode we’re divin...
How to Prepare Students For a World of AI Co-Workers
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode Jeff connected with Evan Ratliff, who created what he calls “the world’s first AI-led startup” to see what happens when AI agen...
The Case for Memorization in the AI Era
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of experts are making the case for requiring students from middle school to college to do more rote memorization — of poems, dates,...
What Do Self-Driving Cars Teach Us About AI in Education?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Can thinking the public narrative around robot cars help educators think about the fast-rising trend of generative AI? For this episode, Jeff talked w...
Lessons From Minneapolis About AI and Misinformation
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
During the ICE surge in Minneapolis, AI is playing a role in this tense and unfolding story, specifically how it is contributing to misinformation. Wh...
Is It Possible to Put Age Limits on AI Tools?
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Last week the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing about potential legislation banning kids under 13 from using social media. Australia has a...
What Guardrails Should AI Companies Build to Protect Learning?
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the past few months new AI tools known as “Agentic AI” have emerged. These new browsers let users deploy AI assistants that can surf the web on...
Is Your Mechanic Using AI?
23 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Boudinot’s AI explainer videos and his Auto Service Soft Skills Garage.A super-short version of this episode that ran on APM’s Marketplace."T...
Why Do So Many Students Have AI Friends?
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“How many hours does it take to make a friend?,” research by this week’s guest Jeff Hall.“Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s H...
Can Colleges ‘AI-Proof’ the Curriculum?
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Editorial: AI-proof the Core Curriculum The Core Curriculum is an essential part of a Catholic education that must be saved from AI,” in The Obse...
How Does AI Fit Into Broader Disruptions to Higher Ed?
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More on Bryan Alexander’s forthcoming book, “Peak Higher Education.”“The Diamond Age,” by Neal Stephenson. “Dual Enrollment Leads to More...
How Do Students Feel About Their AI Use? It's Complicated
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the Know, the podcast of the University of Minnesota's student newspaper, The Minnesota Daily."Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College," in ...
Can AI Avatars Make Class Time More Human?
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Demo of Sara Cochran’s AI avatar, University of Virginia websiteSora and Vibes: AI Video Now Officially Going After Social Media, Platformer
Is My Professor Using AI?
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It,” by Kashmir Hill in The New York Times.Northeastern University’s A...
Should Colleges Provide AI Tools?
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DukeGPT“Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College” in New York Magazine.
Will AI Bring More Student Disengagement?
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Disengaged Teen, by Rebecca Winthrop and Jenny Anderson “Minnesota high school student weighs the benefits and pitfalls of AI,” Minnesota Now...
What If College Teaching Was Redesigned With AI In Mind?
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Watch Matter and Space's video discussed in this episode, "Butterflies"Read Maha Bali's blog.
What Kind of Intelligence Is AI?
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The viral research paper that started it all: “Attention Is All You Need.”Mutlu Cukurova's paper discussed in this episode, “The Interplay of Le...
Introducing Learning Curve
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Teachers and students can't help wondering ... what are we doing here? What's the role of education when AI seems able to do tasks that once seemed un...