Are you worried about preparing your kids for jobs that don’t exist yet? In this episode, we dig into the changes that AI is bringing to work and school. First up, materials scientist Ashley Kaiser reveals how AI is powering “self-driving labs” to offload repetitive tasks, which gives her more time for creative planning and scientific analysis. Next, Google’s Ben Gomes explains why the next era of education must emphasize concepts over mechanics. He also discusses why curiosity, p...

Let's be honest: Trying to make assignments “AI-proof” is like trying to write a “calculator-proof” math problem. With that in mind, we explore how to design AI-ready assessments that reward genuine understanding and insight when answers are cheap and instant. Alex and Dr. Aliza unpack a college course that embraces AI rather than hides from it. Tulane University associate professor Nick Mattei walks us through a term project where his students prompt multiple AI models, compare outpu...

Pressing an AI button won’t write a novel that anyone wants to read. On this episode, we look at using AI for writing – not as a shortcut, but as a thinking partner that helps you move from fuzzy concepts to sharp ideas without losing your voice. Alongside author Amit Gupta and Google’s VP of Learning, Maureen Heymans, we map the line between helpful brainstorming and harmful outsourcing. Ultimately, we landed on a simple rule of thumb that parents and students can use today: Does...

What if technology made classrooms feel more human, not less? On this episode of Raising Kids in the Age of AI, we dive into real stories from the front lines of education to show how AI can help teachers fulfill diverse learning needs, increase engagement, and bring back joy to school so it doesn't turn into a screen-filled dystopia. Alex and Dr. Aliza sit down with New York City special ed and tech teacher Shira Moskovitz, who transformed a disengaged science class by turning a traditio...

Let’s strip away the hype and make AI understandable, useful, and human. Google Research VP Maya Kulycky explains why the human brain remains unmatched (And why that’s good news!) and offers practical guidance for using AI as a collaborator, not a crutch. Google DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim takes us inside different projects that expand what’s possible with AI in anthropology (Project Aeneas) and molecular biology (AlphaFold). Responsibility runs through every story here as both Maya an...

aiEDU Studios has launched a separate podcast entitled Raising Kids in the Age of AI, created in collaboration with Google! Co-hosts Alex Kotran and Dr. Aliza Pressman will explore how AI is shaping the future of parenting and learning in conversations with parents, students, and leaders in education and technology. Meet Isabell, a 13-year-old entrepreneur who is using AI to enhance (Not replace!) her creativity as she builds her handmade product business: "I like to have control over eve...

What does it mean for students to be 'AI ready?' In this "in-house" episode, aiEDU CEO Alex Kotran sits down with Chief Program Officer Emma Doggett Neergaard and Director of Learning Khushali Narechania to explore the organization's new AI Readiness Framework. The aiEDU Learning Team unpacks how their framework provides a roadmap for K-12 educators to prepare students for an AI-powered future. The team dives deep into what makes their framework unique – specifically, its focus on durable...

What happens when you combine Hollywood-level storytelling with the intimacy of audio? Oz Woloshyn and Mangesh Hattikudur, co-founders of Kaleidoscope, have created some of the most compelling podcasts in the medium by focusing on one simple truth: people love feeling smart, especially when learning feels like an adventure. Kaleidoscope's award-winning shows transport listeners from the Amazon rainforest in search of rare cacao to a Soviet space station where a cosmonaut finds himself stra...

Michelle Shomo Pierce invites us into her Charlotte, North Carolina classroom where computer science education transcends coding to become a vehicle for teaching essential life skills. What makes Michelle's approach unique is her unlikely journey to becoming a computer science teacher. With a background in biology and elementary education, she stepped into the role without any formal CS training — a fact that helps her connect with students who might otherwise feel intimidated by techn...

Have you ever talked to an architect of the digital revolution that shaped our world? We spoke with early-stage Apple alum Dan'l Lewin, who took us on a remarkable journey from the dawn of personal computing to our AI-powered present while offering rare insights as someone who helped bring the first computers into America's classrooms. Growing up in upstate New York with a second-grade teacher who taught him binary math, Dan'l's path led him to Silicon Valley in 1976 where he ended up wor...

What if we stopped trying to 'fix' students and instead fixed our educational system? As CEO of CAST, (the Center for Applied Special Technology) Lindsay Jones helps schools utilize Universal Design for Learning to create inclusive education systems for all students. Starting with the premise that "people aren't broken," Lindsay guides us through CAST's journey from its 1984 founding (when Harvard neuroscientists were first bringing personal computers into education) to today's AI re...

What good is 'innovation in edtech' if millions of students can't access it? Dr. Keisha King takes us on her journey from classroom teacher to education technology leader at T-Mobile, showing how authentic educator perspectives can transform tech initiatives in schools. With a background in virtual schooling and curriculum development, Dr. King brings a uniquely grounded approach to her work in connecting millions of students to the Internet. At the heart of Dr. King's philosophy is a pow...

When civics teacher Zach Kennelly first encountered ChatGPT and DALL-E, he immediately recognized their transformative potential for education. As one of the first AI Trailblazers in aiEDU's fellowship program, Zach has reimagined what's possible in the classroom by positioning AI not as a replacement for human thinking, but as a collaborative tool that empowers students to tackle challenges they care about. Throughout our conversation, Zach shared how his diverse background in political sc...

What if the very traits that society labels as a "disability" are actually your greatest strengths? In this week's episode of aiEDU Studios, John Marble (author of Neurodiversity for Dummies and Autism for Dummies) takes us on a remarkable journey from his early days making White House beer runs to becoming a respected neurodiversity advocate and thought leader. John's story begins unexpectedly when, as a community college student, he volunteered during Al Gore's debate prep, which l...

"When you can write out your own ideas, explain your thinking, build an argument and use evidence to support it – that's an incredibly valuable skill for kids." In this week's episode, we spoke with Peter Gault of Quill.org about the evolving relationship between AI and education. Peter shares how Quill transitioned from basic natural language processing (NLP) to sophisticated language models, making a strategic decision to rebuild their platform on generative AI despite having invested yea...

What makes us uniquely human in the age of AI? According to Isabelle Hau, (Executive Director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning) it's our ability to form meaningful relationships — a feat she calls "relational intelligence." Our conversation with Isabelle explores how education systems need to evolve past measuring success through grades and test scores, and instead toward fostering the human connections that will matter more in an AI-powered world. Drawing from her forthcoming b...

What if everything you've been told about AI and the future of work is wrong? In this episode with Bloomberg Beta head Roy Bahat, we dive deep into why employment predictions fail, how AI is reshaping career paths, and why becoming "the CIO of your own life" might be the most valuable skill for navigating our technological future. Roy has been investing in AI since 2014 and teaches at UC Berkeley's business school – and he is skeptical of conventional wisdom about how AI ...

What does the future of work and education look like when AI can accomplish in a few months what electricity took 80 years to achieve? Chike Aguh (senior advisor at Harvard University's Project on Workforce) takes us through technological revolutions of the past and present, highlighting what makes generative AI fundamentally different – namely, its unprecedented speed of deployment and the fact that even its creators cannot fully predict its capabilities. Drawing from his experience...

AI is shifting the ground beneath our feet. In this week's episode with Emmy-winning TV producer Gavin Purcell, we explore how AI differs fundamentally from previous tech trends like crypto, blockchain, and the metaverse. Drawing from his unique perspective in traditional Hollywood and cutting-edge tech, Gavin explains how reasoning models represent a quantum leap beyond simple prompt engineering toward truly intuitive human-machine interaction. The conversation turns particularly fasci...

What happens when we invest in entrepreneurs who've been overlooked by traditional venture capital? Shawna Young, CEO of Camelback Ventures, has dedicated her career to answering that question by giving transformative support to founders from underrepresented communities. In our wide-ranging conversation, Shawna chronicles her journey from AP science teacher in North Carolina to leader of an organization that has invested in 180+ founders across the country – not just in Silicon Vall...