From Think Tank to Action Tank | Ep. 107

About this episode

Matt and Liz discuss the intersection of AI and education, highlighting various initiatives and concerns in the field.

In this episode of ChatEDU, From Think Tank to Action Tank, Matt and Liz kick it off with a lighthearted look at the bizarre collaboration between Starbucks and OpenAI. They discuss a new ChatGPT widget designed to recommend drinks based on a customer's outfit or mood, which Matt jokes is perfect for Liz’s "fashionista" reputation but perhaps less helpful for baristas dealing with AI-hallucinated "Mango Dream" energy drinks. The Rundown Anthropic’s Andan Labs opened a physical pop-up store in San Francisco managed by "Luna," an AI agent that signed the lease, hired workers, and curated a collection of ironic books. A deep dive into how the zSpace ExpansionDanbury Public Schools is scaling immersive AR/VR technology to 30 devices per building to support STEM and career pathways. An update on how federal funding is being steered toward AI initiatives in special education, early intervention, and personalized learning. A study by Dr. Tori Trust analyzed 450 AI-generated lessons, finding they often default to passive, teacher-centered activities like worksheets rather than tech-rich experiences. A report from The 74 warns parents about the rise of AI…

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Mervis, Dr. Elizabeth Radday

Topics covered

• AI in education
• immersive technology
• AI-generated content
• collaboration
• federal funding
• STEM education

Keywords

• AI
• education
• ChatGPT
• Starbucks
• OpenAI
• immersive technology
• federal funding
• AI-generated lessons
• STEM
• Danbury Public Schools

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Starbucks, OpenAI, Anthropic, Andan Labs, zSpace, Danbury Public Schools, The 74

Products: ChatGPT, Gemini

Places: San Francisco, Percy Julian Middle School

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