EducAIted Voices
The world is fundamentally shifting.
How do we prepare our students for what’s next?
Join Emma Ludwick and Bailey Ubellacker as they interview the leaders, researchers, and builders working at the edge of innovation.
Explore the conversations shaping the future of the classroom.
Nestor Maslej
Episode 3: Nestor Maslej, Stanford AI Index Report
EducAIted.ai interviewed Nestor Maslej, Research Associate at Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), to dissect the groundbreaking Stanford AI Index Report. We discuss:
- Deep philosophical questions for educating in a world with AI
- Global trends in AI
- Balancing rapid progress with strict safety
- Moving past anxiety to build critical agency
- Future-ready skills and knowledge
We cannot passively consume this technology, and only demonizing it does not serve us. It is not going away, and it is entirely ours to shape through shared rules, standards, and democratic means.
Inspired by Nestor Maslej, Stanford AI Index
Highlights
1. Shape the Technology, Don't Just Consume It
- AI is entirely ours to shape through shared rules and standards. Humanity can choose how we build and use it.
- The School Shift: We protect the human experience in schools by setting our own thoughtful guardrails and standards. We must respond to the call to engage in this challenging work and wrestle with its complex, open-ended questions. It requires robust communication and will take time.
2. The Power of the Human-AI Partnership
- AI narrows knowledge tasks, but the most powerful outcomes come from the intentional pairing of human + machine.
- The School Shift: Start an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human in an AI world. Use technology to handle routine cognitive tasks, freeing up educators to double down on the irreplaceable human relationships, mentoring, and development that schools are in the unique position to offer.
3. Navigate the Tension of Progress and Safety
- Thriving in this era means learning to exist comfortably within the complex tension between innovation and risk.
- The School Shift: Embrace the messiness of innovation. You do not have to choose between total risk avoidance and reckless experimentation. Build an adaptive school organization and action research processes that balance necessary safety protocols with the creative freedom educators need to innovate.
4. Look Beyond Your District Lines
- Global attitudes toward AI vary wildly, and many regions view its potential with immense excitement. This truth will impact AI development, AI policy, our lives, and the future.
- The School Shift: Look beyond your school district lines. Tap into the global trends surrounding this technology and then apply energy to replace local anxiety with curiosity and critical agency to create positive impact. Educate students about their opportunities to shape this technology and the future.
Chris Ludwick, Waymo
Episode 2: Chris Ludwick, Waymo
Hosts Emma Ludwick and Dr. Bailey Ubellacker partner with K-12 educators to navigate the evolving relationship between education and artificial intelligence. During this interview we discuss with Chris Ludwick:
- Tackling complex problems
- Making decisions with incomplete data
- Transparency, failure, and continuous learning
- Building radical public trust
- Future-ready skills and knowledge
Innovation isn't just about technology; it's about the commitment to constantly learn, the discipline to work hard on complex problems, the courage to fail and try again, the humility to be transparent, and the patience to solve one small task at a time.
Inspired by Chris Ludwick, Waymo
Highlights
1. Decompose the Chaos
- Waymo doesn't solve transportation all at once; they solve specific and manageable challenges, task-by-task.
- The School Shift: Break a challenging problem down into smaller tasks. Center on the human experience. Learn. Connect. Pivot. Repeat.
2. Innovation Moves at the Speed of Trust
- Public safety is the only way Waymo stays on the road. Transparency isn't a PR move; it’s the engine.
- The School Shift: How are we sharing our AI learnings with our families and students? Trust is built through transparent safety reports, vision with direction, data, and intentional communication.
3. The T-Shaped Educator and Student
- Chris emphasizes that technical genius isn't enough. You need deep specialization (the vertical) and a breadth of collaborative skills like integrity, communication, and work ethic (the horizontal).
- The School Shift: As AI supports administrative tasks, how are we doubling down on the human experience and human skills critical to the classroom experience and our students’ future success?
4. Decisions with incomplete data
- Waiting for perfect, complete data is impossible with cutting-edge work and our current context. Waymo makes "directionally correct" decisions with incomplete data.
- The School Shift: Understand basic statistics. Conduct action research with short pilots. Analyze your data. Learn. Connect. Pivot. Repeat.
Dr. Andrew Ng
Episode 1: Dr. Andrew Ng, K-12 & Computer Science
Hosts Emma Ludwick and Dr. Bailey Ubellacker help K-12 educators navigate the evolving world of Artificial Intelligence. In this episode, they sit down with Dr. Andrew Ng, founder of DeepLearning.AI, to bridge the gap between complex computer science and the classroom.
The best time to start learning is now.
Dr. Andrew Ng
Highlights
- The Transformative Power of AI: Why it is the "new electricity" for every industry.
- Essential AI Literacy: Defining what students need to know to thrive.
- Teacher Empowerment: Practical advice on demystifying AI models, coding, and school data.
- Educational Leadership: How to innovate with technology in your own environment.
Featured Interview
DR. BAILEY UBELLACKER on What IS SmaRT?
A conversation with Garrett Wilhelm of the Thinkering Collective on his podcast
What is Smart?