vendors

Introducing Gemini 2.0: our new AI model for the agentic era — from blog.google by Sundar Pichai, Demis Hassabis, and Koray Kavukcuoglu

Today we’re excited to launch our next era of models built for this new agentic era: introducing Gemini 2.0, our most capable model yet. With new advances in multimodality — like native image and audio output — and native tool use, it will enable us to build new AI agents that bring us closer to our vision of a universal assistant.

We’re getting 2.0 into the hands of developers and trusted testers today. And we’re working quickly to get it into our products, leading with Gemini and Search. Starting today our Gemini 2.0 Flash experimental model will be available to all Gemini users. We’re also launching a new feature called Deep Research, which uses advanced reasoning and long context capabilities to act as a research assistant, exploring complex topics and compiling reports on your behalf. It’s available in Gemini Advanced today.

Over the last year, we have been investing in developing more agentic models, meaning they can understand more about the world around you, think multiple steps ahead, and take action on your behalf, with your supervision.

.

Try Deep Research and our new experimental model in Gemini, your AI assistant — from blog.google by Dave Citron
Deep Research rolls out to Gemini Advanced subscribers today, saving you hours of time. Plus, you can now try out a chat optimized version of 2.0 Flash Experimental in Gemini on the web.

Today, we’re sharing the latest updates to Gemini, your AI assistant, including Deep Research — our new agentic feature in Gemini Advanced — and access to try Gemini 2.0 Flash, our latest experimental model.

Deep Research uses AI to explore complex topics on your behalf and provide you with findings in a comprehensive, easy-to-read report, and is a first look at how Gemini is getting even better at tackling complex tasks to save you time.1

Google Unveils A.I. Agent That Can Use Websites on Its Own — from nytimes.com by Cade Metz and Nico Grant (NOTE: This is a GIFTED article for/to you.)
The experimental tool can browse spreadsheets, shopping sites and other services, before taking action on behalf of the computer user.

Google on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of this technology, which artificial intelligence researchers call an A.I. agent.
…
Google’s new prototype, called Mariner, is based on Gemini 2.0, which the company also unveiled on Wednesday. Gemini is the core technology that underpins many of the company’s A.I. products and research experiments. Versions of the system will power the company’s chatbot of the same name and A.I. Overviews, a Google search tool that directly answers user questions.

Gemini 2.0 is the next chapter for Google AI — from axios.com by Ina Fried

Google Gemini 2.0 — a major upgrade to the core workings of Google’s AI that the company launched Wednesday — is designed to help generative AI move from answering users’ questions to taking action on its own…
…
The big picture: Hassabis said building AI systems that can take action on their own has been DeepMind’s focus since its early days teaching computers to play games such as chess and Go.

“We were always working towards agent-based systems,” Hassabis said. “From the beginning, they were able to plan and then carry out actions and achieve objectives.”
Hassabis said AI systems that can act as semi-autonomous agents also represent an important intermediate step on the path toward artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI that can match or surpass human capabilities.
“If we think about the path to AGI, then obviously you need a system that can reason, break down problems and carry out actions in the world,” he said.

AI Agents vs. AI Assistants: Know the Key Differences — from aithority.com by Rishika Patel

The same paradigm applies to AI systems. AI assistants function as reactive tools, completing tasks like answering queries or managing workflows upon request. Think of chatbots or scheduling tools. AI agents, however, work autonomously to achieve set objectives, making decisions and executing tasks dynamically, adapting as new information becomes available.

Together, AI assistants and agents can enhance productivity and innovation in business environments. While assistants handle routine tasks, agents can drive strategic initiatives and problem-solving. This powerful combination has the potential to elevate organizations, making processes more efficient and professionals more effective.

Discover how to accelerate AI transformation with NVIDIA and Microsoft — from ignite.microsoft.com

Meet NVIDIA – The Engine of AI. From gaming to data science, self-driving cars to climate change, we’re tackling the world’s greatest challenges and transforming everyday life. The Microsoft and NVIDIA partnership enables Startups, ISVs, and Partners global access to the latest NVIDIA GPUs on-demand and comprehensive developer solutions to build, deploy and scale AI-enabled products and services.

Google + Meta + Apple New AI — from theneurondaily.com by Grant Harve

What else Google announced:

Deep Research: New feature that can explore topics and compile reports.
Project Astra: AI agent that can use Google Search, Lens, and Maps, understands multiple languages, and has 10-minute conversation memory.
Project Mariner: A browser control agent that can complete web tasks (83.5% success rate on WebVoyager benchmark). Read more about Mariner here.
Agents to help you play (or test) video games.

AI Agents: Easier To Build, Harder To Get Right — from forbes.com by Andres Zunino

The swift progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has simplified the creation and deployment of AI agents with the help of new tools and platforms. However, deploying these systems beneath the surface comes with hidden challenges, particularly concerning ethics, fairness and the potential for bias.

The history of AI agents highlights the growing need for expertise to fully realize their benefits while effectively minimizing risks.

“What Is Agentic AI?” [Nvidia’s Pounds] + other items re: AI in general

On 12/09/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Adobe, analytics, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communications, communities of practice, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, data related items, design, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, Google, graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, legislatures / government / legal, marketing/social marketing, media/film, Microsoft, multimedia, music, Natural Language Processing (NLP), new media literacies, NVIDIA, online media, Open AI, platforms, podcasting, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, programming, skills, social media, strategy, student-related, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, United States, vendors, videoconferencing, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Where to start with AI agents: An introduction for COOs — from fortune.com by Ganesh Ayyar

Picture your enterprise as a living ecosystem, where surging market demand instantly informs staffing decisions, where a new vendor’s onboarding optimizes your emissions metrics, where rising customer engagement reveals product opportunities. Now imagine if your systems could see these connections too! This is the promise of AI agents — an intelligent network that thinks, learns, and works across your entire enterprise.

Today, organizations operate in artificial silos. Tomorrow, they could be fluid and responsive. The transformation has already begun. The question is: will your company lead it?

The journey to agent-enabled operations starts with clarity on business objectives. Leaders should begin by mapping their business’s critical processes. The most pressing opportunities often lie where cross-functional handoffs create friction or where high-value activities are slowed by system fragmentation. These pain points become the natural starting points for your agent deployment strategy.

Create podcasts in minutes — from elevenlabs.io by Eleven Labs
Now anyone can be a podcast producer

Top AI tools for business — from theneuron.ai

This week in AI: 3D from images, video tools, and more — from heatherbcooper.substack.com by Heather Cooper
From 3D worlds to consistent characters, explore this week’s AI trends

Another busy AI news week, so I organized it into categories:

Image to 3D
AI Video
AI Image Models & Tools
AI Assistants / LLMs
AI Creative Workflow: Luma AI Boards

Want to speak Italian? Microsoft AI can make it sound like you do. — this is a gifted article from The Washington Post;
A new AI-powered interpreter is expected to simulate speakers’ voices in different languages during Microsoft Teams meetings.

Artificial intelligence has already proved that it can sound like a human, impersonate individuals and even produce recordings of someone speaking different languages. Now, a new feature from Microsoft will allow video meeting attendees to hear speakers “talk” in a different language with help from AI.

What Is Agentic AI? — from blogs.nvidia.com by Erik Pounds
Agentic AI uses sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems.

The next frontier of artificial intelligence is agentic AI, which uses sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems. And it’s set to enhance productivity and operations across industries.

Agentic AI systems ingest vast amounts of data from multiple sources to independently analyze challenges, develop strategies and execute tasks like supply chain optimization, cybersecurity vulnerability analysis and helping doctors with time-consuming tasks.

“OpenAI wants to pair online courses with chatbots” [Wiggers] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosytems

On 12/07/2024, in adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Australia, business, career development, change, changing business models, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, new business models, online learning, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, research, skills, society, sociology, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, workplace, writing, youth, by Daniel Christian

What Students Are Saying About Teachers Using A.I. to Grade — from nytimes.com by The Learning Network; via Claire Zau
Teenagers and educators weigh in on a recent question from The Ethicist.

Is it unethical for teachers to use artificial intelligence to grade papers if they have forbidden their students from using it for their assignments?

That was the question a teacher asked Kwame Anthony Appiah in a recent edition of The Ethicist. We posed it to students to get their take on the debate, and asked them their thoughts on teachers using A.I. in general.

While our Student Opinion questions are usually reserved for teenagers, we also heard from a few educators about how they are — or aren’t — using A.I. in the classroom. We’ve included some of their answers, as well.

OpenAI wants to pair online courses with chatbots — from techcrunch.com by Kyle Wiggers; via James DeVaney on LinkedIn

If OpenAI has its way, the next online course you take might have a chatbot component.

Speaking at a fireside on Monday hosted by Coeus Collective, Siya Raj Purohit, a member of OpenAI’s go-to-market team for education, said that OpenAI might explore ways to let e-learning instructors create custom “GPTs” that tie into online curriculums.

“What I’m hoping is going to happen is that professors are going to create custom GPTs for the public and let people engage with content in a lifelong manner,” Purohit said. “It’s not part of the current work that we’re doing, but it’s definitely on the roadmap.”

15 Times to use AI, and 5 Not to — from oneusefulthing.org by Ethan Mollick
Notes on the Practical Wisdom of AI Use

There are several types of work where AI can be particularly useful, given the current capabilities and limitations of LLMs. Though this list is based in science, it draws even more from experience. Like any form of wisdom, using AI well requires holding opposing ideas in mind: it can be transformative yet must be approached with skepticism, powerful yet prone to subtle failures, essential for some tasks yet actively harmful for others. I also want to caveat that you shouldn’t take this list too seriously except as inspiration – you know your own situation best, and local knowledge matters more than any general principles. With all that out of the way, below are several types of tasks where AI can be especially useful, given current capabilities—and some scenarios where you should remain wary.

Learning About Google Learn About: What Educators Need To Know — from techlearning.com by Ray Bendici
Google’s experimental Learn About platform is designed to create an AI-guided learning experience

Google Learn About is a new experimental AI-driven platform available that provides digestible and in-depth knowledge about various topics, but showcases it all in an educational context. Described by Google as a “conversational learning companion,” it is essentially a Wikipedia-style chatbot/search engine, and then some.

In addition to having a variety of already-created topics and leading questions (in areas such as history, arts, culture, biology, and physics) the tool allows you to enter prompts using either text or an image. It then provides a general overview/answer, and then suggests additional questions, topics, and more to explore in regard to the initial subject.

The idea is for student use is that the AI can help guide a deeper learning process rather than just provide static answers.

What OpenAI’s PD for Teachers Does—and Doesn’t—Do — from edweek.org by Olina Banerji
What’s the first thing that teachers dipping their toes into generative artificial intelligence should do?

They should start with the basics, according to OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT and one of the world’s most prominent artificial intelligence research companies. Last month, the company launched an hour-long, self-paced online course for K-12 teachers about the definition, use, and harms of generative AI in the classroom. It was launched in collaboration with Common Sense Media, a national nonprofit that rates and reviews a wide range of digital content for its age appropriateness.

…the above article links to:

ChatGPT Foundations for K–12 Educators — from commonsense.org

This course introduces you to the basics of artificial intelligence, generative AI, ChatGPT, and how to use ChatGPT safely and effectively. From decoding the jargon to responsible use, this course will help you level up your understanding of AI and ChatGPT so that you can use tools like this safely and with a clear purpose.

Learning outcomes:

Understand what ChatGPT is and how it works.
Demonstrate ways to use ChatGPT to support your teaching practices.
Implement best practices for applying responsible AI principles in a school setting.

Takeaways From Google’s Learning in the AI Era Event — from edtechinsiders.substack.com by Sarah Morin, Alex Sarlin, and Ben Kornell
Highlights from Our Day at Google + Behind-the-Scenes Interviews Coming Soon!

NotebookLM: The Start of an AI Operating System
Google is Serious About AI and Learning
Google’s LearnLM Now Available in AI Studio
Collaboration is King
If You Give a Teacher a Ferrari

Rapid Responses to AI — from the-job.beehiiv.com by Paul Fain
Top experts call for better data and more short-term training as tech transforms jobs.

AI could displace middle-skill workers and widen the wealth gap, says landmark study, which calls for better data and more investment in continuing education to help workers make career pivots.
…
Ensuring That AI Helps Workers
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a general purpose technology with sweeping implications for the workforce and education. While it’s impossible to precisely predict the scope and timing of looming changes to the labor market, the U.S. should build its capacity to rapidly detect and respond to AI developments.
That’s the big-ticket framing of a broad new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Congress requested the study, tapping an all-star committee of experts to assess the current and future impact of AI on the workforce.

“In contemplating what the future holds, one must approach predictions with humility,” the study says…

“AI could accelerate occupational polarization,” the committee said, “by automating more nonroutine tasks and increasing the demand for elite expertise while displacing middle-skill workers.”
…
The Kicker: “The education and workforce ecosystem has a responsibility to be intentional with how we value humans in an AI-powered world and design jobs and systems around that,” says Hsieh.

AI Predators: What Schools Should Know and Do — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
AI is increasingly be used by predators to connect with underage students online. Yasmin London, global online safety expert at Qoria and a former member of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia, shares steps educators can take to protect students.

The threat from AI for students goes well beyond cheating, says Yasmin London, global online safety expert at Qoria and a former member of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia.

Increasingly at U.S. schools and beyond, AI is being used by predators to manipulate children. Students are also using AI generate inappropriate images of other classmates or staff members. For a recent report, Qoria, a company that specializes in child digital safety and wellbeing products, surveyed 600 schools across North America, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

Why We Undervalue Ideas and Overvalue Writing — from aiczar.blogspot.com by Alexander “Sasha” Sidorkin

A student submits a paper that fails to impress stylistically yet approaches a worn topic from an angle no one has tried before. The grade lands at B minus, and the student learns to be less original next time. This pattern reveals a deep bias in higher education: ideas lose to writing every time.

This bias carries serious equity implications. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including first-generation college students, English language learners, and those from under-resourced schools, often arrive with rich intellectual perspectives but struggle with academic writing conventions. Their ideas – shaped by unique life experiences and cultural viewpoints – get buried under red ink marking grammatical errors and awkward transitions. We systematically undervalue their intellectual contributions simply because they do not arrive in standard academic packaging.

Google Scholar’s New AI Outline Tool Explained By Its Founder — from techlearning.com by Erik Ofgang
Google Scholar PDF reader uses Gemini AI to read research papers. The AI model creates direct links to the paper’s citations and a digital outline that summarizes the different sections of the paper.

Google Scholar has entered the AI revolution. Google Scholar PDF reader now utilizes generative AI powered by Google’s Gemini AI tool to create interactive outlines of research papers and provide direct links to sources within the paper. This is designed to make reading the relevant parts of the research paper more efficient, says Anurag Acharya, who co-founded Google Scholar on November 18, 2004, twenty years ago last month.

The Four Most Powerful AI Use Cases in Instructional Design Right Now — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
Insights from ~300 instructional designers who have taken my AI & Learning Design bootcamp this year

AI-Powered Analysis: Creating Detailed Learner Personas…
AI-Powered Design: Optimising Instructional Strategies…
AI-Powered Development & Implementation: Quality Assurance…
AI-Powered Evaluation: Predictive Impact Assessment…

How Are New AI Tools Changing ‘Learning Analytics’? — from edsurge.com by Jeffrey R. Young
For a field that has been working to learn from the data trails students leave in online systems, generative AI brings new promises — and new challenges.

In other words, with just a few simple instructions to ChatGPT, the chatbot can classify vast amounts of student work and turn it into numbers that educators can quickly analyze.

Findings from learning analytics research is also being used to help train new generative AI-powered tutoring systems.
…
Another big application is in assessment, says Pardos, the Berkeley professor. Specifically, new AI tools can be used to improve how educators measure and grade a student’s progress through course materials. The hope is that new AI tools will allow for replacing many multiple-choice exercises in online textbooks with fill-in-the-blank or essay questions.

Increasing AI Fluency Among Enterprise Employees, Senior Management & Executives — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

This article attempts, in these early days, to provide some specific guidelines for AI curriculum planning in enterprise organizations.

The two reports identified in the first paragraph help to answer an important question. What can enterprise L&D teams do to improve AI fluency in their organizations?

You could be surprised how many software products have added AI features. Examples (to name a few) are productivity software (Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace); customer relationship management (Salesforce and Hubspot); human resources (Workday and Talentsoft); marketing and advertising (Adobe Marketing Cloud and Hootsuite); and communication and collaboration (Slack and Zoom). Look for more under those categories in software review sites.

The Many Special Populations Microschools Serve — from microschoolingcenter.org. by Don Soifer

Kids representing a broad range of special populations have a strong presence in today’s microschooling movement. Children with neurodiversities, other special needs, and those coming to microschools at two or more grades below “grade level mastery” as defined by their state all are served by more than 50 percent of microschools surveyed nationally, according to the Center’s 2024 American Microschools Sector Analysis report.

Children who have experienced emotional trauma or have experienced housing or food insecurity are also being served widely in microschools, according to leaders surveyed nationally.

This won’t come as a surprise to most in the microschooling movement. But to those who are less familiar, understanding the many ways that microschooling is about thriving for families and children who have struggled in their prior schooling settings.
.

Several ideas for K-12 teachers from Monica Burns out at classtechtips.com

On 12/07/2024, in digital learning, digital video, education, education technology, engagement / engaging students, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, parents/guardians, podcasting, student-related, teachers, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Focus on School-to-Home Resources for the Holidays — from classtechtips.com by Monica Burns

As the holiday season approaches, families might reach out to educators looking for resources to support learning over school break. By leveraging high-quality, vetted resources, you can ensure that the school-to-home connection stays strong, even during winter break. Today on the blog, I’m excited to share some resources for the holidays from the team at Ask, Listen, Learn.

Also see:

Tech-Savvy Approaches for a Differentiated Classroom with Dr. Clare Kilbane and Dr. Natalie Milman – Easy EdTech Podcast 296

In this episode, educational leaders and fellow ASCD authors Dr. Clare Kilbane and Dr. Natalie Milman share expert strategies for using EdTech to personalize learning. Explore insights from their book, Using Technology in a Differentiated Classroom, and discover practical tips to thoughtfully integrate digital tools and support diverse learners. If you’re ready to elevate all students’ learning journeys, this episode is a must-listen!

Also see:

Lesson planning resource — short, engaging videos for students
This post is sponsored by ClickView. All opinions are my own.

Where do you go to find engaging, high-quality content for your lesson plans? Searching for short videos for students might feel like a time consuming task. As a classroom teacher there were plenty of times when I knew watching a video clip would help students better understand a concept, but I couldn’t always find the right videos to share with them. ClickView is a platform with video resources curated just for K-12 educators.

Today on the blog we’ll take a look at ClickView, a video platform for K-12 schools designed to make lesson planning easier. Whether you’re introducing a new topic or diving deeper into a complex unit, ClickView’s range of videos and innovative features can transform the way you teach.

VLOG: Learning in Medical School [The Learning Scientists]

On 12/07/2024, in Emotion, experimentation, faculty/staff, health, higher education, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, memory, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teaching & learning, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

VLOG: Learning in Medical School — from learningscientists.org by The Learning Scientists

NOTE:

This vlog is for anyone in medical school, interested in medical school, or just curious about what learning is like in medical school!

In this vlog Althea and Cindy talk about their work with medical student learners. They discuss common learning challenges in medical school, efficient learning strategies, learning in the context of attentional disorders and anxiety, and what it means to prepare future healers.

“20 Years of Law School Insights” [Laus] + other items related to law schools

On 12/07/2024, in law schools, student-related, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

20 Years of Law School Insights: Diversity, Debt, and Student Satisfaction Trends — from jdjournal.com by Maria Lenin Laus (may ask for email address and first name to access this)

Over the past two decades, law school students have consistently rated their educational experiences highly. According to the Law School Survey of Student Engagement (LSSSE), nearly 80% of law students have described their experience as “good” or “excellent” since the survey’s inception in 2004. However, significant disparities in satisfaction persist, particularly among students of color.

The LSSSE, conducted by Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research, recently released its 20th-anniversary report. The report reflects on changes in student diversity, debt, career aspirations, and overall satisfaction and paints a nuanced picture of the evolving law school experience and the remaining challenges.

Also see:

Information for law students from JD Journal

Law student satisfaction rates high for last 20 years, lower for students of color, study shows — from reuters.com by Karen Sloan

Nov 26 (Reuters) – Aspiring lawyers have consistently rated their experience at law schools well over the past two decades, with about 80% rating their experience as either “good” or “excellent” on the annual Law School Survey of Student Engagement, although satisfaction rates among students of color were lower than among whites over the past 20 years.

The survey, opens new tab, part of Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research, marked its 20th edition this month with a look back at how student diversity, debt loads, career plans and satisfaction levels have changed – or not – during that time.

Reflections on “US College Closures Are Expected to Soar, Fed Research Says” [Bloomberg.com]

On 12/07/2024, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assessment, business side of he, change, changing business models, colleges, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, economics, faculty/staff, game-changing environment, higher education, ideas, law schools, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, legislatures / government / legal, liberal arts, new business models, parents/guardians, policy, reinvent, society, staying relevant, student-related, surviving, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

US College Closures Are Expected to Soar, Fed Research Says — from bloomberg.com

Fed research created predictive model of college stress
Worst-case scenario forecasts 80 additional closures

The number of colleges that close each year is poised to significantly increase as schools contend with a slowdown in prospective students.

That’s the finding of a new working paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, where researchers created predictive models of schools’ financial distress using metrics like enrollment and staffing patterns, sources of revenue and liquidity data. They overlayed those models with simulations to estimate the likely increase of future closures.

Excerpt from the working paper:

We document a high degree of missing data among colleges that eventually close and show that this is a key impediment to identifying at risk institutions. We then show that modern machine learning techniques, combined with richer data, are far more effective at predicting college closures than linear probability models, and considerably more effective than existing accountability metrics. Our preferred model, which combines an off-the-shelf machine learning algorithm with the richest set of explanatory variables, can significantly improve predictive accuracy even for institutions with complete data, but is particularly helpful for predicting instances of financial distress for institutions with spotty data.

From DSC:
Questions that come to my mind here include:

Shouldn’t the public — especially those relevant parents and students — be made more aware of these types of papers and reports?
.
How would any of us like finishing up 1-3 years of school and then being told that our colleges or universities were closing, effective immediately? (This has happened many times already.) and with the demographic cliff starting to hit higher education, this will happen even more now.
.
Adding insult to injury…when we transfer to different institutions, we’re told that many of our prior credits don’t transfer — thus adding a significant amount to the overall cost of obtaining our degrees.
.
Would we not be absolutely furious to discover such communications from our prior — and new — colleges and universities?
.
Will all of these types of closures move more people to this vision here?

Relevant excerpts from Ray Schroeder’s recent articles out at insidehighered.com:

Winds of Change in Higher Ed to Become a Hurricane in 2025

A number of factors are converging to create a huge storm. Generative AI advances, massive federal policy shifts, broad societal and economic changes, and the demographic cliff combine to create uncertainty today and change tomorrow.

Higher Education in 2025: AGI Agents to Displace People

The anticipated enrollment cliff, reductions in federal and state funding, increased inflation, and dwindling public support for tuition increases will combine to put even greater pressure on university budgets.

On the positive side of things, the completion rates have been getting better:

National college completion rate ticks up to 61.1% — from highereddive.com by Natalie Schwartz
Those who started at two-year public colleges helped drive the overall increase in students completing a credential.

Dive Brief:

Completion rates ticked up to 61.1% for students who entered college in fall 2018, a 0.5 percentage-point increase compared to the previous cohort, according to data released Wednesday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The increase marks the highest six-year completion rate since 2007 when the clearinghouse began tracking the data. The growth was driven by fewer students stopping out of college, as well as completion gains among students who started at public two-year colleges.
“Higher completion rates are welcome news for colleges and universities still struggling to regain enrollment levels from before the pandemic,” Doug Shapiro, the research center’s executive director, said in a statement dated Wednesday.

Addendum:

Attention Please: Professors Struggle With Student Disengagement — from edsurge.com

The stakes are huge, because the concern is that maybe the social contract between students and professors is kind of breaking down. Do students believe that all this college lecturing is worth hearing? Or, will this moment force a change in the way college teaching is done?

DC: From a box of Post cereal, a deep reflection.

On 12/05/2024, in business, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, ethics, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, leadership, morals/values, relationships, religion, society, sociology, strategy, trends, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
I opened up a BRAND NEW box of cereal from Post the other day. As I looked down into the package, I realized that it was roughly half full. (This has happened many times before, but it struck me so much this time that I had to take pictures of it and post this item.)
.

.
Looks can be deceiving for sure. It looks like I should have been getting a full box of cereal…but no…only about half of the package was full. It’s another example of the shrinkflation of things — which can also be described as people deceptively ripping other people off.

“As long as I’m earning $$, I don’t care how it impacts others.” <– That’s not me talking, but it’s increasingly the perspective that many Americans have these days. We don’t bother with ethics and morals…how old-fashioned can you get, right? We just want to make as much money as possible and to hell with how our actions/products are impacting others.

Another example from the food industry is one of the companies that I worked for in the 1990’s — Kraft Foods. Kraft has not served peoples’ health well at all. Even when they tried to take noble steps to provide healthier foods, other food executives/companies in the industry wouldn’t hop on board. They just wanted to please Wall Street, not Main Street. So companies like Kraft have contributed to the current situations that we face which involve obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and other ailments. (Not to mention increased health care costs.)

The gambling industry doesn’t give a rip about people either. Look out for the consequences.

And the cannabis industry joins the gambling industry...and they’re often right on the doorsteps of universities and colleges.

Bottom line reflection:
There are REAL ramifications when we don’t take Christ’s words/commands to love one another seriously (or even to care about someone at all). We’re experiencing such ramifications EVERY DAY now.

Closing the digital use divide with active and engaging learning [Ascione]

On 12/04/2024, in active learning, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, collaboration, communications, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, curriculum, data related items, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, face-to-face, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning preferences, multimedia, new media literacies, personalized/customized learning, programming, simulations, skills, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, tools, United States, vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, vision/possibilities, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Closing the digital use divide with active and engaging learning — from eschoolnews.com by Laura Ascione
Students offered insight into how to use active learning, with digital tools, to boost their engagement

When it comes to classroom edtech use, digital tools have a drastically different impact when they are used actively instead of passively–a critical difference examined in the 2023-2024 Speak Up Research by Project Tomorrow.

Students also outlined their ideal active learning technologies:

Collaboration tools to support projects
Student-teacher communication tools
Online databases for self-directed research
Multi-media tools for creating new content
Online and digital games
AI tools to support personalized learning
Coding and computer programming resources
Online animations, simulations, and virtual labs
Virtual reality equipment and content

(Excerpt from the 12/4/24 edition)

Robot “Jailbreaks”
In the year or so since large language models hit the big time, researchers have demonstrated numerous ways of tricking them into producing problematic outputs including hateful jokes, malicious code, phishing emails, and the personal information of users. It turns out that misbehavior can take place in the physical world, too: LLM-powered robots can easily be hacked so that they behave in potentially dangerous ways.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania were able to persuade a simulated self-driving car to ignore stop signs and even drive off a bridge, get a wheeled robot to find the best place to detonate a bomb, and force a four-legged robot to spy on people and enter restricted areas.

“We view our attack not just as an attack on robots,” says George Pappas, head of a research lab at the University of Pennsylvania who helped unleash the rebellious robots. “Any time you connect LLMs and foundation models to the physical world, you actually can convert harmful text into harmful actions.”
…
The robot “jailbreaks” highlight a broader risk that is likely to grow as AI models become increasingly used as a way for humans to interact with physical systems, or to enable AI agents autonomously on computers, say the researchers involved.

Virtual lab powered by ‘AI scientists’ super-charges biomedical research — from nature.com by Helena Kudiabor
Could human-AI collaborations be the future of interdisciplinary studies?

In an effort to automate scientific discovery using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers have created a virtual laboratory that combines several ‘AI scientists’ — large language models with defined scientific roles — that can collaborate to achieve goals set by human researchers.

The system, described in a preprint posted on bioRxiv last month¹, was able to design antibody fragments called nanobodies that can bind to the virus that causes COVID-19, proposing nearly 100 of these structures in a fraction of the time it would take an all-human research group.

Can AI agents accelerate AI implementation for CIOs? — from intelligentcio.com by Arun Shankar

By embracing an agent-first approach, every CIO can redefine their business operations. AI agents are now the number one choice for CIOs as they come pre-built and can generate responses that are consistent with a company’s brand using trusted business data, explains Thierry Nicault at Salesforce Middle.

AI Turns Photos Into 3D Real World — from theaivalley.com by Barsee

Here’s what you need to know:

The system generates full 3D environments that expand beyond what’s visible in the original image, allowing users to explore new perspectives.
Users can freely navigate and view the generated space with standard keyboard and mouse controls, similar to browsing a website.
It includes real-time camera effects like depth-of-field and dolly zoom, as well as interactive lighting and animation sliders to tweak scenes.
The system works with both photos and AI-generated images, enabling creators to integrate it with text-to-image tools or even famous works of art.

Why it matters:
This technology opens up exciting possibilities for industries like gaming, film, and virtual experiences. Soon, creating fully immersive worlds could be as simple as generating a static image.

Also related, see:

World Labs’ AI can generate interactive 3D scenes from a single photo — from techcrunch.com by Kyle Wiggers

From World Labs

Today we’re sharing our first step towards spatial intelligence: an AI system that generates 3D worlds from a single image. This lets you step into any image and explore it in 3D.

Most GenAI tools make 2D content like images or videos. Generating in 3D instead improves control and consistency. This will change how we make movies, games, simulators, and other digital manifestations of our physical world.

In this post you’ll explore our generated worlds, rendered live in your browser. You’ll also experience different camera effects, 3D effects, and dive into classic paintings. Finally, you’ll see how creators are already building with our models.

Addendum on 12/5/24:

ChatGPT turns two: how has it impacted markets? — from moneyweek.com
Two years on from ChatGPT’s explosive launch into the public sphere, we assess the impact that it has had on stock markets and the world of technology

DC: This is a great posting! “AI Tutors: Hype or Hope for Education?” [Bailey & Warner]

On 12/04/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, content development, aggregation, repositories, education, education reform, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, Google, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, K-12 related, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning preferences, mathematics, multimedia, new media literacies, Open AI, personalized/customized learning, relationships, science, skills, student-related, teachers, the downsides of how people use tech, United States, vendors, vision/possibilities, writing, by Daniel Christian

AI Tutors: Hype or Hope for Education? — from educationnext.org by John Bailey and John Warner
In a new book, Sal Khan touts the potential of artificial intelligence to address lagging student achievement. Our authors weigh in.

In Salman Khan’s new book, Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing) (Viking, 2024), the Khan Academy founder predicts that AI will transform education by providing every student with a virtual personalized tutor at an affordable cost. Is Khan right? Is radically improved achievement for all students within reach at last? If so, what sorts of changes should we expect to see, and when? If not, what will hold back the AI revolution that Khan foresees? John Bailey, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, endorses Khan’s vision and explains the profound impact that AI technology is already making in education. John Warner, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and former editor for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, makes the case that all the hype about AI tutoring is, as Macbeth quips, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

How to Secure Your 2025 Legal Tech [Bailey at the ABA] + several other legaltech-related items

On 12/03/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Canada, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, data related items, ethics, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, policy, privacy, strategy, using teams, vendors, by Daniel Christian

How to Secure Your 2025 Legal Tech — from americanbar.org by Rachel Bailey

Summary

With firms increasingly open to AI tools, now is an exciting time to do some blue-sky thinking about your firm’s technology as a whole.
This is a chance for teams to envision the future of their firm’s technology landscape and make bold choices that align with long-term goals.
Learn six tips that will improve your odds of approval for your legal tech budget.

Also relevant, see:

Why Technology-Driven Law Firms Are Poised For Long-Term Success — from forbes.com by Daniel Farrar

Client expectations have shifted significantly in today’s technology-driven world. Quick communication and greater transparency are now a priority for clients throughout the entire case life cycle. This growing demand for tech-enhanced processes comes not only from clients but also from staff, and is set to rise even further as more advances become available.
…
I see the shift to cloud-based digital systems, especially for small and midsized law firms, as evening the playing field by providing access to robust tools that can aid legal services. Here are some examples of how legal professionals are leveraging tech every day…

Just 10% of law firms have a GenAI policy, new Thomson Reuters report shows — from legaltechnology.com by Caroline Hill

Just 10% of law firms and 21% of corporate legal teams have now implemented policies to guide their organisation’s use of generative AI, according to a report out today (2 December) from Thomson Reuters.

AI & Law Symposium: Students Exploring Innovation, Challenges, and Legal Implications of a Technological Revolution — from allard.ubc.ca

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been rapidly deployed around the world in a growing number of sectors, offering unprecedented opportunities while raising profound legal and ethical questions. This symposium will explore the transformative power of AI, focusing on its benefits, limitations, and the legal challenges it poses.

AI’s ability to revolutionize sectors such as healthcare, law, and business holds immense potential, from improving efficiency and access to services, to providing new tools for analysis and decision-making. However, the deployment of AI also introduces significant risks, including bias, privacy concerns, and ethical dilemmas that challenge existing legal and regulatory frameworks. As AI technologies continue to evolve, it is crucial to assess their implications critically to ensure responsible and equitable development.

The role of legal teams in creating AI ethics guardrails — from legaldive.com by Catherine Dawson
For organizations to balance the benefits of artificial intelligence with its risk, it’s important for counsel to develop policy on data governance and privacy.

How Legal Aid and Tech Collaboration Can Bridge the Justice Gap — from law.com by Kelli Raker and Maya Markovich
“Technology, when thoughtfully developed and implemented, has the potential to expand access to legal services significantly,” write Kelli Raker and Maya Markovich.

Challenges and Concerns
Despite the potential benefits, legal aid organizations face several hurdles in working with new technologies:

1. Funding and incentives: Most funding for legal aid is tied to direct legal representation, leaving little room for investment in general case management or exploration of innovative service delivery methods to exponentially scale impact.

2. Jurisdictional inconsistency: The lack of a unified court system or standardized forms across regions makes it challenging to develop accurate and widely applicable tech solutions in certain types of matters.

3. Organizational capacity: Many legal aid organizations lack the time and resources to thoroughly evaluate new tech offerings or collaboration opportunities or identify internal workflows and areas of unmet need with the highest chance for impact.

4. Data privacy and security: Legal aid providers need assurance that tech protects client data and avoids misuse of sensitive information.

5. Ethical considerations: There’s significant concern about the accuracy of information produced by consumer-facing technology and the potential for inadvertent unauthorized practice of law.

Two items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 11/27/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, colleges, community colleges, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, research, skills, student-related, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Notebook LM continues to make waves…

“Why Technology-Driven Law Firms Are Poised For Long-Term Success” [Farrar] + other items re: legaltech

On 11/27/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, law schools, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, skills, tools, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Below is an excerpt from 2024: The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise — from Menlo Ventures

Legal: Historically resistant to tech, the legal industry ($350 million in enterprise AI spend) is now embracing generative AI to manage massive amounts of unstructured data and automate complex, pattern-based workflows. The field broadly divides into litigation and transactional law, with numerous subspecialties. Rooted in litigation, Everlaw* focuses on legal holds, e-discovery, and trial preparation, while Harvey and Spellbook are advancing AI in transactional law with solutions for contract review, legal research, and M&A. Specific practice areas are also targeted AI innovations: EvenUp focuses on injury law, Garden on patents and intellectual property, Manifest on immigration and employment law, while Eve* is re-inventing plaintiff casework from client intake to resolution.

Excerpt from Brainyacts #250 (from 11/22/24) — from the Leveraging Generative AI in Client Interviews section

Here’s what the article from Forbes said:

CodeSignal, an AI tech company, has launched Conversation Practice, an AI-driven platform to help learners practice critical workplace communication and soft skills.
Conversation Practice uses multiple AI models and a natural spoken interface to simulate real-world scenarios and provide feedback.
The goal is to address the challenge of developing conversational skills through iterative practice, without the awkwardness of peer role-play.

What I learned about this software changed my perception about how I can prepare in the future for client meetings. Here’s what I’ve taken away from the potential use of this software in a legal practice setting:

Why Technology-Driven Law Firms Are Poised For Long-Term Success — from forbes.com by Daniel Farrar

I see the shift to cloud-based digital systems, especially for small and midsized law firms, as evening the playing field by providing access to robust tools that can aid legal services. Here are some examples of how legal professionals are leveraging tech every day:

- Cloud-based case management solutions. These help enhance productivity through collaboration tools and automated workflows while keeping data secure.
- E-discovery tools. These tools manage vast amounts of data and help speed up litigation processes.
- Artificial intelligence. AI has helped automate tasks for legal professionals including for case management, research, contract review and predictive analytics.

Learning Ecosystems

DC: From a box of Post cereal, a deep reflection.

5 items re: AI in general

Categories

Tags