Learning Curve
By Jeff Young
What does it mean to teach and learn in the age of generative AI? Join host Jeff Young as he talks with educators, tech leaders and students, aiming to cut through the hype and inform a conversation about how education can adapt to AI — and about what kinds of learning need protecting amid the AI gold rush.
14 episodes
All Episodes
How AI Can Free Up Human Time--But Only If Institutions Choose To Reinvest It
AI doesn't dehumanize college admissions--it exposes a deeper failure: schools are automating to cut costs, not connection. The real edge? Using AI to free up time for meaningful human conversations that boost yield, trust, and fit.
View Episode Notes →
Reframing AI Expertise: Enmeshment Within Disciplines, Not Technology
AI's true impact in higher education lies not in technology, but in fundamentally rethinking expertise and curricula. Embrace this shift to prepare students for an AI-enmeshed future.
View Episode Notes →
Cognitive Surrender: AI's Hidden Risk to Human Agency
AI adoption risks "cognitive surrender," where we defer our reasoning to AI, potentially eroding essential human skills and identity. Learn how to harness AI without sacrificing your intellectual agency.
View Episode Notes →
Liberal Arts Colleges Thrive by Cultivating Unique Human Skills in AI Era
As AI automates knowledge work, liberal arts education uniquely cultivates essential human skills like critical thinking and ethical reasoning, creating a surprising competitive advantage for future resilience.
View Episode Notes →
AI's Threat to Democracy: Cultivating Agency Over Passivity
AI poses a hidden threat to democracy: not deepfakes, but a creeping passivity that erodes individual agency and hollows out governance, prioritizing outcomes over participation.
View Episode Notes →
AI's Creative Disruption: Democratization Versus Devaluation of Craft
AI accelerates creation, but can devalue human craft and blur originality. Explore how to harness AI's speed while upholding integrity and recognizing genuine human contribution.
View Episode Notes →
AI Efficiency's Hidden Costs: Re-evaluating Human Value and Skills
AI's promise of efficiency hides hidden costs, forcing a re-evaluation of human value and collaboration. Learn to complement AI, not compete, to gain a future advantage.
View Episode Notes →
Rote Memorization: Strategic Imperative for Cognitive Agency in AI Era
AI's ease risks eroding our cognitive abilities. Re-embracing rote memorization is crucial for deep understanding and maintaining intellectual agency in an age of instant answers.
View Episode Notes →
AI's Paradox: Diminishing Human Agency Through Efficient Learning
AI adoption risks diminishing critical thinking and creativity, turning efficient output into shallow learning. Prioritize human agency and the learning process over AI-generated products.
View Episode Notes →
AI's Assault on Visual Truth Erodes Trust in Journalism
AI is eroding trust in visual evidence, making it harder to discern truth. Learn how to navigate this new information landscape and gain an advantage in understanding reality.
View Episode Notes →
AI's Business Model Conflicts With Child Development, Demanding Age Assurance
Tech's profit-driven design conflicts with child development, creating attention-capture products harmful to young brains. Age verification is minimal, demanding a shift to age assurance and assuming users are children by default.
View Episode Notes →
AI Companies Must Implement Guardrails Against Academic Fraud
AI companies can prevent academic fraud with a single prompt change, yet their inaction devalues education and harms honest students.
View Episode Notes →
AI Enhances Skilled Trades Through Communication and Efficiency
AI enhances skilled trades by improving customer communication and accelerating learning, freeing up valuable repair time and boosting earning potential.
View Episode Notes →
AI Companions Foster Unhealthy Attachments by Simulating Friendship Asymmetrically
AI companions offer simulated friendship without reciprocity, potentially fostering unhealthy attachments and poor social habits, especially for vulnerable users.
View Episode Notes →