Ep. 289 | Will AI Kill Critical Thinking? Carl Hooker’s 6 Predictions For 2026
From EdTech Bites Podcast by Gabriel Carrillo
February 23, 2026 · 41 min · Episode 289
About this episode
In this episode, Carl Hooker shares his bold predictions for the future of edtech and discusses the implications of AI on critical thinking and education.
Want to bring your whole district together with one simple tool? ClassDojo for Districts makes it easy to engage families and strengthen school communities—at every level. It’s the number one communication app trusted by millions of K-12 teachers, now with district-wide oversight and controls. From Pre-K to high school, ClassDojo connects your schools and families in one seamless place. Learn more at classdojo.com/districts . In this episode, Carl Hooker and I unpack six of his bold 2026 edtech predictions, including students becoming the product in the AI economy, the rise of AI generated “pink slime” misinformation, the threat to critical thinking, and the emergence of a unified Teacher Operating System. We also explore wearable tech, social media trust, and the fine line between innovation and surveillance. If you want clarity and practical insight on leading responsibly in an AI saturated world, this conversation is for you. Connect With Gabriel Carrillo EdTech Bites Website: https://edtechbites.com EdTech Bites On Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/edtechbites.bsky.social EdTech Bites Instagram: https://instagram.com/edtechbites EdTech Bites X: https://twitter.com/edtechbites…
People in this episode
Host: Gabriel Carrillo
Guest: Carl Hooker
Topics covered
- AI in education
- critical thinking
- edtech predictions
- wearable tech
- social media trust
- innovation vs surveillance
Keywords
- AI economy
- critical thinking
- edtech
- misinformation
- Teacher Operating System
- wearable technology
- social media
- innovation
- surveillance
Sponsors
ClassDojo
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