Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping the University

Zach Justus and Nik Janos
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Unfixed is a podcast for anyone interested in how generative AI is transforming higher education, from teachers and administrators to students and curious learners. Hosted by the faculty behind the blog Melts into Air, it offers candid reflections on a university system in flux, where even the mission of higher ed is up for debate.

  1. FEB 9

    Ep. 22 Building AI Capacity in Public Higher Ed with James Frazee

    Ep. 22 Building AI Capacity in Public Higher Ed with James Frazee In this episode of Unfixed, we’re joined by Dr. James Frazee, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at San Diego State University, to unpack how large public universities are navigating AI strategy, governance, and equity at scale. As a nationally recognized leader in AI and data-informed decision-making, Frazee shares insights from spearheading SDSU’s AI and digital transformation survey—an effort that has since been adopted systemwide across the California State University system. James Frazee SDSU Statement on Generative AI (GenAI) Privacy SDSU AI Survey Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    31 min

  2. JAN 26

    Ep. 21 Unfixed Newswire, winter 2026 AI stories shaping higher education

    In this episode of Unfixed Newswire, Nik and Zach break down the most consequential—and occasionally absurd—AI news. The conversation spans OpenAI’s push toward ads and potential NSFW content; the relentless churn of new AI models like Gemini 3 and GPT-5.x; and why tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork may signal a real shift toward AI agents as co-workers. They also interrogate the current AI investment bubble, unpack why enterprise tools like Google Gemini’s Canvas integration may matter more than headline-grabbing launches, and close with some deliberately irresponsible speculation about humanoid robots. OpenAI begins piloting advertisements  AI Daily Brief, January 19, 2026, How to Make ChatGPT Ads Not Suck The Verge,ChatGPT’s ‘adult mode’ is expected to debut in Q1 2026, https://www.theverge.com/news/842657/openai-chatgpt-adult-mode-debut-q1-2026 The Crimson, 1994, Porn on the internet! Humai, GPT-5.2 vs Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 Pro: The Complete Comparison The AI Daily Brief, January 13 2026, Claude Cowork is Claude Code for everyone else  Wired, Anthropic’s Claude Cowork Is an AI Agent That Actually Works  Instructure, Unleash the Power of AI in Canvas with Gemini LTI™ Neo, your home robot Marques Bownlee (MKBHD) on the problem with NEO the robot  Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    31 min

  3. JAN 12

    Ep. 20 Make College Great Again? Nostalgia, AI, and Academic Anxiety

    In this episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach take on a difficult but necessary conversation about nostalgia in higher education. Using real media headlines, faculty experiences, and their own teaching histories, they explore how AI panic taps into a deeper longing for a pre-pandemic, pre-ChatGPT past that may never have been as stable as we remember. The discussion unpacks what nostalgia is, why it’s so powerful right now, and how scapegoating AI can obscure long-standing challenges around reading, writing, and motivation. Rather than a call to “go back,” this episode walks the line between insight and wake-up—arguing that AI often reveals what’s already broken and, in some cases, opens space to fix it. Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Inside Higher Ed, No, the Pre-AI Era Was Not That Great Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, What Happens after A.I. Destroys College Writing New York Magazine, Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College Lindsay McKenzie, 2018, Inside Higher Ed, Learning Tool or Cheating Aid? Raphael, The School of Athens Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    28 min

  4. 12/30/2025

    Ep. 19 AI in Higher Ed Year in Review (2025)

    Nik and Zach review the best and worst of AI in higher ed for 2025. AI and Higher Education: 2025 We unpack the collapse of AI detection, the rise of system-wide AI partnerships like CSU and OpenAI, uneven assessment redesign, growing faculty stratification, and mounting concern that generative AI is hollowing out entry-level knowledge-work jobs. The episode closes by looking ahead to 2026, including model updates, political backlash, environmental impacts, and what higher education faces if the AI bubble bursts. Nik and Zach’s top five of the year: Zach Justus, That terrible “Everyone is cheating their way through college” essay Nik Janos, The Assistant for the Rest of Us Nik Janos, Builders: Designing the Post-AI University Zach Justus and Nik Janos, No, The Pre-AI Era Wasn’t that Great (Inside Higher Ed) Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Why professors are more important than ever in the AI era (EdSource) Mentioned: Rampant AI Cheating Is Ruining Education Alarmingly Fast (Intelligencer / New York Magazine, May 7, 2025) Experts Weigh In on “Everyone” Cheating in College (Inside Higher Ed, May 20, 2025) Unfixed episode 16: Inside the CSU-OpenAI Partnership OpenAI and the California State University system bring AI to 500,000 students and faculty (OpenAI, Feb 2025) CSU, OpenAI roll out ChatGPT Edu to California college students (Axios, Feb 4, 2025) OpenAI targets higher education with ChatGPT rollout at CSU (Reuters, Feb 4, 2025) 2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study: Into the Digital AI Divide (EDUCAUSE, Feb 2025) AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself (Current Affairs, Dec 2025) These Students Use AI a Lot — but Not to Cheat (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2025) How AI Is Changing—Not ‘Killing’—College (Inside Higher Ed, Aug 29, 2025) 2025 AI Index Report (Stanford HAI, 2025) How to Think of AI in Education (MIT Open Learning, July 2025) Unfixed episode 11: AGI and the Future of Higher Ed: talking with Ray Schoeder Universities risk becoming passive arms of Silicon Valley if they don’t question AI (Business Insider, Dec 2025) Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    38 min

  5. 12/15/2025

    Ep. 18 Parenting and Teaching in an AI World: Guidance from Child Development Scholar Shelley Hart

    Dr. Shelley Hart joins Nik and Zach to explore how children and adolescents are forming relationships with generative AI. We discuss what “too young” means in an AI-saturated world, and how parents, teachers, and caregivers can responsibly shape norms, boundaries, and ethics around AI use. Drawing on her expertise in child development, Dr. Hart offers practical insights for guiding kids through emerging technologies. Shelley Hart Nik Janos, Typing, Talking, Googling: Seeing the AI-first generation  Todd Feathers, Wired, Parents Fell in Love with Alpha School’s Promise then They Wanted Out First 1000 Days Serve and return UC Irvine study, California Parents Report their Fears and Hopes for AI Michael Connelly’s novel The Proving Ground  Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    40 min

  6. 12/01/2025

    Ep. 17 AI Has Gone MAGA and What it Means for Higher Ed

    In this episode, Nik and Zach unpack how Trump’s alignment with AI labs, deregulation, and political culture wars collide with higher education. With weak federal guidance, states—and universities—are left to chart their own AI futures. Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Inside Higher Ed, AI Has Gone MAGA  Mohar Chatterjee, Politico, AI is Opening a MAGA-Trump Split  Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    31 min

  7. 11/17/2025

    Ep. 16 Inside the CSU-OpenAI Partnership

    California State University leaders Emily Magruder and Leslie Kennedy join Unfixed to discuss how the CSU–OpenAI partnership is reshaping conversations about teaching, technology, and faculty work. They share lessons from system-level innovation, union tensions, and the future of AI in higher education. Emily Magruder Leslie Kennedy Nik Janos, Melts into Air,  Thoughts on the first AI-powered university Julie Bajaras, LAist, Inside Cal State's big $17 million bet on ChatGPT for all Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    37 min

  8. 11/03/2025

    Ep. 15 Bridging the Gaps: AI, EdTech & Consulting with Brett Christie

    Alchemy Learning’s Brett Christie joins us to unpack real gaps on campus—tools, culture, and strategy—and how partners can help. We discuss “build vs. buy” to faculty buy-in and smart governance and explore how Universal Design for Learning is as important as ever in the AI age.  Alchemy Learning Website Alchemy Webinar Series   Zach Justus on Melts into Air, “AI Is Making Edtech Pricier” Cogniti Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at unfixed@meltsintoair.org You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

    38 min
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About

Unfixed is a podcast for anyone interested in how generative AI is transforming higher education, from teachers and administrators to students and curious learners. Hosted by the faculty behind the blog Melts into Air, it offers candid reflections on a university system in flux, where even the mission of higher ed is up for debate.

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