Episode 150: LLMs with Simon WIllison
From Teaching Python by Sean Tibor and Kelly Paredes
August 28, 2025 · 1h 36m · Episode 150
About this episode
In this milestone 150th episode, the hosts discuss artificial intelligence in Python education with Simon Willison, covering the landscape of LLMs and their implications for coding education.
In this milestone 150th episode, hosts Kelly Schuster-Paredes and Sean Tibor sit down with Simon Willison, co-creator of Django and creator of Datasette and LLM tools, for an in-depth conversation about artificial intelligence in Python education. The discussion covers the current landscape of LLMs in coding education, from the benefits of faster iteration cycles to the risks of students losing that crucial "aha moment" when they solve problems independently. Simon shares insights on prompt injection vulnerabilities, the importance of local models for privacy, and why he believes LLMs are much harder to use effectively than most people realize. Key topics include: Educational Strategy : When to introduce AI tools vs. building foundational skills first Security Concerns : Prompt injection attacks and their implications for educational tools Student Engagement : Maintaining motivation and problem-solving skills in an AI world Practical Applications : Using LLMs for code review, debugging, and rapid prototyping Privacy Issues : Understanding data collection and training practices of major AI companies Local Models : Running AI tools privately on personal devices The "Jagged…
People in this episode
Host: Sean Tibor
Guest: Simon WIllison
Topics covered
- Educational Strategy
- Security Concerns
- Student Engagement
- Practical Applications
- Privacy Issues
- Local Models
- The Jagged Frontier
Keywords
- LLMs
- AI tools
- Django
- Datasette
- prompt injection
- local models
- privacy
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Django, Datasette, LLM, Python
Books & works: LLMs
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