January 2025

• Prophecies of the Flood: What to Make of the Statements of the AI labs? Ethan Mollick’s blog post explores the rapid advancements in AI, emphasizing the emergence of supersmart systems like OpenAI’s o3, which outperformed humans on challenging benchmarks, and narrow agents like Google’s Deep Research. While the transformative potential of such systems is undeniable, the author urges caution about overhyping timelines, highlights the limitations of current models, and stresses the importance of societal preparation and ethical alignment to ensure AI benefits humanity. (One Useful Thing; Jan. 10, 2025)
• In Getting to an AI Policy Part 1: Challenges, Lance Eaton, Ph.D., examines the complexities of creating institutional policies for generative AI in higher education, emphasizing that progress requires integrating policy, tool selection, training, and strategic direction. He highlights how institutions struggle with hesitancy, rapidly evolving technologies, and insufficient alignment of resources, urging iterative approaches to address these challenges and prepare for AI’s transformative potential. (AI+Education=Simplified; Jan. 9 2025
• Why Obsessing Over AI Today Blinds Us to the Bigger Picture. Alberto Romero argues that humanity’s fixation on defining and resolving the implications of AI misses the broader, evolving nature of technological progress. Using the steam train as a metaphor, he reflects on how each generation struggles to grasp the transformative power of new innovations, only to normalize and appreciate them in hindsight. Ultimately, he suggests that AI’s meaning and impact will continuously shift, defying static definitions, and that our role is to adapt and evolve alongside it. (The Algorithmic Bridge; Jan. 8, 2025)
• A Few Recent Developments That Shine a Light on the Path of AI. Ed’s Rec. Ray Schroeder, senior fellow for UPCEA: the Association for Leaders in Online and Professional Education, put together a compilation a curated collection of significant developments and predictions about artificial intelligence in higher education. His blog post synthesizes insights from various sources, including news articles, expert opinions, and research studies, to highlight the rapid advancements and their implications for institutions and educators. (Inside Higher Ed; Jan. 8, 2025)
• The Academic Culture of Surveillance and Policing Students: The GenAI Edition  Lilian Mina (Writing Program Director, Rhetoric and Composition Professor, Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) President) critiques the widespread reliance on AI detection tools, arguing that they foster mistrust and prioritize surveillance over meaningful pedagogy. She advocates for rethinking teaching practices to focus on trust, engagement, and ethical discussions about AI, encouraging educators to view generative AI as an opportunity to evolve rather than a threat to academic integrity. (In My Own Words; Jan. 6, 2025)
• Some Notes on How Culture Is Responding to Generative AI. Bryan Alexander explores cultural reactions to AI across various domains, including religion, dating, art, and media, noting a mix of fear, creativity, and intimacy in how people engage with technology. He highlights emerging trends like spiritual interactions with AI, AI’s integration into dating, and the demographic differences in AI adoption, emphasizing that society is still developing norms and narratives around this rapidly evolving technology. (AI, Academia, and the Future; Jan. 7, 2025)
• The AI Ethics Brief #155: Defining Moments in Responsible AI— 2024 in Review The AI Ethics Brief writers present ten significant developments in AI ethics from 2024, highlighting transformative trends such as global AI governance, ethical challenges in healthcare and labor, AI’s environmental impact, and its role in education and surveillance. These stories emphasize the urgency of addressing AI’s societal risks and benefits, with 2025 poised for advancements in regulations, fairness, and sustainable practices across multiple sectors. (The AI Ethics Brief; Jan. 7, 2025)