A Good Week for Jevons Paradox | Ep. 110

A Good Week for Jevons Paradox | Ep. 110

From ChatEDU – The AI & Education Podcast by Matt Mervis and Dr. Elizabeth Radday

May 15, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

The episode discusses the recent controversies surrounding OpenAI and the implications of AI in education.

In this episode of ChatEDU, "A Good Week for Jevons Paradox," Matt and Liz kick it off with a dramatic reading of leaked text messages between Sam Altman and Mira Murati. The hosts discuss the high-stakes drama surrounding OpenAI, including Murati's testimony regarding Altman's honesty and the chaotic events leading up to his brief firing, which they jokingly refer to as "the blip." The Rundown Matt and Liz engage in a spirited discussion about the Brisk Chrome extension and its integration with Gemini, questioning if "wrapper" tools add true value for educators. An examination of how Arizona State University repurposed faculty lectures into "AI slop" snippets without professor consent, leading to a significant backlash. A look at the $17 million deal with OpenAI that is facing resistance from faculty and students who feel like "test rats" due to a lack of guidance. A study from Cornell and Carnegie Mellon reveals that while lower-income students use AI more for essays, they face higher rejection rates than wealthier peers. New research highlights a sixfold increase in fabricated academic citations in research papers, signaling a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Mervis, Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Guest: Mike Dunn

Topics covered

  • Jevons Paradox
  • OpenAI drama
  • AI in education
  • faculty consent
  • AI citations
  • digital safety

Keywords

  • Jevons Paradox
  • OpenAI
  • AI education
  • faculty backlash
  • AI citations
  • digital safety
  • Gemini
  • Brisk Chrome extension

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: OpenAI, Arizona State University, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund

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