aiEDU Studios

aiEDU: The AI Education Project
  • 3.7 (3)
  • EDUCATION

aiEDU Studios is a podcast from the team at The AI Education Project. Each week, a new guest joins us for a deep-dive discussion about the ever-changing world of AI, technology, K-12 education, and other topics that will impact the next generation of the American workforce and social fabric. Learn more about aiEDU at https://www.aiEDU.org

  1. 1D AGO

    Pat Yongpradit: Coding isn't dead, it's evolving

    What if AI didn’t kill coding but made learning it more meaningful?  We sat down with Pat Yongpradit (former Chief Academic Officer at Code.org) to unpack why computer science still matters, how AI is reshaping classroom practices, and what real AI literacy looks like for students and teachers.  We also zoomed out to note that coding is only one piece of computer science, which also spans data science, cybersecurity, and the social and ethical impacts of technology.  We also talk about jobs, nuance, and the future of post-secondary education. BLS projections still show growth in software engineering even as “programming” tasks automate, which shifts demand toward systems-based thinking, UX, and human-centered design. Pat makes the case for a blended future where a renewed liberal arts education integrates technical fluency with ethics, communication, and problem-solving in order to prepare students for AI-infused roles across every sector.  If you care about teaching, learning, or the future of work, our conversation with Pat delivers a clear message — keep the human at the center, use AI as a partner, and give students the agency to build, critique, and create.  aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    55 min

  2. JAN 29

    Celeste Riley: Teaching with AI, learning with critical thinking

    Imagine a classroom where 5th graders present their research to younger students, take questions, and proudly defend their findings — and where AI is a quiet helper, not the centerpiece.  That’s Celeste Riley’s dual-language classroom in Memphis! It's a space built on trust, cultural relevance, and clear expectations that make learning feel urgent, relevant, and real.  On this week's episode of aiEDU Studios, we spoke with Celeste about how she uses AI to widen access and differentiate for multilingual learners while still ensuring academic rigor.  Instead of policing AI tools, Celeste focuses on vetting and verification:  Students first draft projects in Canva.Then, they compare AI summaries with primary sourcesFinally, they refine their projects until the writing sounds like them.Subsequently, class presentations serve as honest assessments. If a grade-schooler asks, “Why did that family leave their home country?” gimmicks fall away and understanding shows up. Along the way, Celeste teaches students good habits for digital citizenship with lessons about strong passwords, online privacy, checking sources, and spotting misinformation.  Celeste also shared a favorite lesson from an AI cohort: students wrote step-by-step prompts while a partner “played” the AI to reveal how vague requests fail and precise language succeeds – kind of like Amelia Bedelia! She also walked us through her process of using AI to personalize lessons, like reading fluency tools that put students in charge of their own pace of learning.  For school leaders, this episode digs into what actually works: Short, teacher-led professional development sessionsA culture that treats mistakes as part of the learning processVisible celebrations of classroom wins.The result is a blueprint for blending AI, project-based learning, and bilingual education together without losing the human element that makes school matter. If you believe student voice is non-negotiable, you’ll find practical moves you can use tomorrow.    aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    33 min

  3. JAN 22

    Jared Chung: Career flexibility in an uncertain AI future

    Ready for honest career guidance instead of stage-ready talking points?  We sit down with CareerVillage.org founder Jared Chung to unpack how AI is reshaping career prep, why human advice still matters, and what parents, teachers, and students can do to navigate uncertainty with confidence.  We dig into the questions that families often whisper after conferences: Which jobs are safe? Should my kid study law, computer science, or learn a trade? The clearest answers center on no-regret skills (e.g. Communication, problem-solving, project management, EQ, etc.) and on a new reality for knowledge workers — the entry-level job is turning into a manager role. It’s not enough to complete tasks; you must direct the work, judge quality, and orchestrate tools and teams.  Jared emphasizes labor market agility as a core competency in tracking how AI affects your job role, your industry, and your employer. Along the way, we examine the broken mechanics of job-matching, the risk of AI being used only for cost-cutting, and the upside if companies invest in new lines of business that create demand. We also get practical. Guidance counselors are stretched thin while students need both fast, tailored AI support and real humans who’ve done the job. That’s why AICareerCoach.org and CareerVillage.org exist side by side, with clear lines between AI help and human help. We talk trades versus degrees, nursing/healthcare demand, and why parents should model curiosity by reading credible industry news and discussing what they see with their kids.  If you want a smart, grounded playbook for thriving in a changing labor market, this conversation delivers clarity without the clichés. Learn more about Jared Chung and CareerVillage.org: https://www.CareerVillage.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jaredchung/   aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    1h 10m

  4. JAN 16

    Neeti Mehta Shukla: Work without the busywork

    Imagine telling a chatbot to “onboard this vendor,” and it finishes the job across multiple systems in under a minute.  On this episode, we sit down with Automation Anywhere co-founder Neeti Mehta Shukla to unpack how this shift frees people from repetitive tasks and lets them focus on more meaningful work that uses their human judgment, care, and creativity. We trace the journey from early RPA (robotic process automation) to today’s reliable, scalable automation that runs mission-critical operations. Neeti shares some compelling examples:  A nonprofit delivering 400% more aid after automating intake.An energy company saving $120 million via an LLM-guided tax review.Universities improving student services with faster, error-resistant AI-driven processes.Throughout our conversation with Neeti, we get practical about the future of work. Some tasks vanish, many roles evolve, and new careers take shape. We also dig into responsible AI (privacy, governance, transparency) and why certifications like ISO 42001 signal that speed and safety can coexist. Ultimately, the overall message is hopeful and grounded — expand access to training, bring more voices into AI, and build tools that serve everyone instead of just early adopters.  Learn more about Neeti Mehta Shukla and Automation Anywhere: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neeti-mehta-shukla-511476/https://www.AutomationAnywhere.com/   aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    55 min

  5. JAN 8

    Victor Lee: Rethinking school and AI literacy

    If you’ve ever wondered whether AI has 'broken' school, this conversation with Stanford associate professor Victor Lee cuts through the noise and gets to the heart of the issue. We start by mapping out three lenses every learner needs: The user who applies tools well.The developer who grasps core concepts like models and training data.The critic who sees bias, persuasion, and societal impact.That trifecta becomes a practical compass for teachers, parents, and leaders trying to decide what matters by the time students graduate. Victor also shares fresh findings from his widely-cited study on AI and academic integrity:  Cheating didn’t spike after ChatGPT arrived. The baseline was already high.When work is irrelevant or purely procedural, students seek shortcuts. When tasks demand interpretation, personal voice, and real evidence, AI becomes a helper rather than a loophole.We also explore how to rethink writing beyond the five-paragraph essay, turning “writing is thinking” into prompts that reward judgment over regurgitation. Think role-play, multimedia analysis, and context-rich arguments that students can own and AI outputs can’t fake. Lastly, Victor examined computer science in a world of co-pilots. Coding isn’t going away, but the value shifts from syntax to decomposition, abstraction, testing, and reasoning about systems. The best AI-assisted developers have strong fundamentals and the same is true in every field — domain knowledge multiplies AI. That’s the essence of AI readiness: deep subject-grounding plus AI fluency and skepticism. If you care about smarter classroom assessment, meaningful tasks, and preparing students for an AI-shaped world, this episode offers a grounded and hopeful roadmap.   aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    1h 11m

  6. 12/18/2025

    Sunanna Chand: Teachers matter more than technology

    The hardest part of AI in education isn’t picking a tool. It’s deciding what kind of learning we want to protect, elevate, and scale. On this episode of aiEDU Studios, we dive straight into that question with Sunanna Chand, executive director of The Reinvention Lab at Teach For America. Sunanna has a clear stance on edtech: focus on talent over technology. Instead of imagining rows of students plugged into personalized dashboards, she explains how strategic, lightweight AI use can help teachers spark curiosity while still building durable skills and making school feel meaningful again. We talk about what it really takes to change a sprawling K‑12 system (millions of students, thousands of districts, countless constraints) and why organizations with trust and reach matter. Sunanna offers a dual mandate to improve outcomes now while prototyping the models we will need in 5-10 years as AI automates routine tasks. That work means grappling with equity and access, acknowledging that for some students the phone is the Internet, and refusing to let premium AI become a quiet advantage for the privileged. Of course, it also means drawing clear lines between healthy shortcuts and harmful ones — writing is still thinking, and judgment can’t be outsourced. If you care about teacher prestige, student agency, durable skills, and using AI without losing our humanity, this conversation is for you. Learn about about Sunanna Chand and The Reinvention Lab at Teach For America: https://reinventionlab.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunannachand/ aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    1h 11m

  7. 12/11/2025

    J.C. Brizard: Making a more humane education system

    Teaching at Rikers Island isn’t a typical origin story for a future school district leader. And yet, it demonstrates that education works best as human development, not a test-prep machine.  Former Chicago Public Schools CEO J.C. Brizard joins aiEDU Studios to talk about modern-day school systems and what to keep, what to scrap, and how to move faster than technology that's reshaping our jobs and lives.  We got candid about why AI has finally brought school to the dinner table. When a novice can ship working software and a manager can draft team evaluations within hours, the question shifts from “Which tools?” to “What makes us human?” The answer lies in durable skills: curiosity, agency, communication, problem-solving, and the courage to navigate ambiguity.  Those aren’t “soft” skills — they are the skills that help students change jobs, create value, and lead with judgment as machines take on more tasks. If you care about students thriving in an AI-shaped economy and building a more humane one, this conversation offers a roadmap you can use now.  After listening, let us know what route you'll take in your class, school, or district!  Learn more about J.C. Brizard: https://digitalpromise.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-claude-brizard-0080a810/ aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    1h 6m
  8. Teens show us how they use AI

    11/27/2025

    Teens show us how they use AI

    Teens don’t treat AI like magic. They treat it like a wrench — something that's useful, but only as good as the person using it.  On this episode, we sat down with students who’ve put AI tools to work in surprising ways. Between all their experiences, we saw a grounded view of AI as a study aid, a creative partner, and sometimes a risky shortcut that demands stronger digital literacy.  Jeremy’s experience highlighted accessibility and caution in the same breath. He told us how AI helped him while recovering from a concussion by simplifying textbook passages, but also mentioned being fed inaccurate weightlifting advice by a chatbot. His fact-checking routine for AI (ask for links, check dates, consider the consensus, and talk to a human expert) could be a model for any family to use.  Julia pushed the limits of AI tutoring by attempting seven AP exams. She passed the exams where she already had background knowledge, but stumbled in subjects where she didn't. Her story showed how AI can accelerate learning but still can't replace it.  If you care about raising capable, critical-thinking teens in an AI-saturated world, this conversation will offer helpful insight and practical advice.  aiEDU: The AI Education Project aiEDU.org linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

    21 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

aiEDU Studios is a podcast from the team at The AI Education Project. Each week, a new guest joins us for a deep-dive discussion about the ever-changing world of AI, technology, K-12 education, and other topics that will impact the next generation of the American workforce and social fabric. Learn more about aiEDU at https://www.aiEDU.org

Information

  • Creator
    aiEDU: The AI Education Project
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 aiEDU Studios
  • Show Website
    aiEDU Studios