More Comp Sci research! News and Research - Episode 10 of Series 9
Release Date: 09/20/2024
AI by Students, for Students
AI in Education Podcast
Episode Series 12 Episode 8 AI by Students, for Students In this special episode of the AI in Education Podcast, recorded live at the , Dan and Ray chat with two forward-thinking school leaders about how students are using AI in transformative ways. First up, , Head of ICT at , shares how his school built its own AI tool – "Annabelle" – to give students a tailored, ethical, and effective AI tutor. From exam revision to building study guides, students are using it creatively and proactively, showing just how valuable thoughtful AI implementation can be. Then, , Digital Learning Leader at ,...
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Does AI make you dumb?
AI in Education Podcast
After starting with an existential crisis - "Are we basically doing the AI equivalent of a maths calculator podcast from the 1970s?" - in this news and research update, Dan and Ray unpack the latest developments in AI and education. Starting with China’s decision to shut down AI tools during national exams, they then revisit NSW’s EduChat chatbot, now in widespread use, with compelling data on time savings for teachers and learning benefits for students. The hosts dive into fresh research from the LEGO Foundation and Microsoft, both highlighting how young students engage with generative...
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We finally meet Megan and James
AI in Education Podcast
We're halfway through Season 12 - the Student one - and in episode 6 you finally get to meet Megan (Year 7) and James (Year 11). Long-term listeners will have heard co-host Dan talking about how his own children use AI, and so now you can hear their perspectives. Dan asks both of them share how they and their friends use AI in school and outside. Enjoy the honest revelations!
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Gen Z's AI Reality
AI in Education Podcast
In this news and research-packed episode, Ray and Dan dive deep into the AI highlights from EduTech 2025 in Sydney - reflecting on the vibe, standout presentations, and the surprisingly light AI presence on the expo floor. They unpack major news from the UK’s Department for Education, OpenAI’s model pricing shake-up, and raise serious red flags over Meta AI’s privacy approach. The duo also tackles the big questions educators face: is AI destroying the planet? Can we trust AI with student data? And what do students themselves think? Featuring insights from two key research pieces -...
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Students as AI Innovators, with Brett Moller
AI in Education Podcast
Students as AI Innovators In this inspiring episode of the podcast, hosts Ray and Dan speak with at on the Sunshine Coast. Brett shares how his school is flipping the AI narrative — from fear and compliance to student agency, creativity, and real-world problem-solving. He discusses how students are not only using AI tools but building their own large language models, crafting apps that respond to deeply personal challenges like Parkinson’s disease and anxiety, and collaborating with local industry on meaningful tech projects. From AI-powered research assistants to empathy-led app...
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Agents, Optimism & Essays: The Real AI Student Life
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Dan and Ray dive deep into how students are really using - beyond the hype. They unpack recent findings from the , exploring how students interact with models like Claude for study, writing, and even problem-solving. They discuss the latest sentiment data from a KPMG/University of Melbourne Business School report, "", revealing surprising differences in global optimism and concern about AI. (See the chart below, which isn't in the report, but Ray's creation from Figure 15) Plus, they share updates from Google I/O and Microsoft Build,...
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Students First: How AI Is Changing Study Habits
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, hosts Ray and Dan kick off Series 12 with a powerful focus on students—how they learn, what they need, and how AI is shaping their academic journeys. Joining them is at , who shares revealing insights from , which polled over 11,000 students across 15 countries. Nina dives into how students are turning to generative AI tools like ChatGPT more than their professors, not out of laziness but to fill gaps in clarity, access, and support. The trio explores the need for AI that’s student-specific - not just curriculum-aligned - and the importance...
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Tutor, Teacher, Cheater: What Students Really Think About AI
AI in Education Podcast
New Series Alert - all about students In the kickoff episode of Series 12, Dan and Ray set the stage for a deep dive into AI from the student's perspective. Why are students confused about AI? How are they actually using it - and how should they be using it? The hosts explore the idea that AI can act as a tutor, a teacher, or a shortcut (a "cheater") and reflect on how this plays out in real classrooms and learning experiences. They also caught up on plenty of news this week - transdisciplinary learning models, new AI education policies from countries like China and the UAE, and how major...
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From Hollywood to Healthcare: AI That Cares
AI in Education Podcast
In this special solo-hosted episode, is joined by Dr. Mike Seymour from the University of Sydney, recorded live at the . You can find Mike through and Mike shares captivating insights from his work in digital humans - lifelike AI avatars that can support learning, healthcare, and emotional wellbeing. From using VR to train veterinary students with virtual sheep, to exploring how emotionally intelligent digital tutors can transform how students ask questions, this episode dives deep into the practical, human-centered future of AI. Mike draws on his background in Hollywood visual effects and...
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Uber Prompts and AI Myths
AI in Education Podcast
In this episode of the AI in Education Podcast, Ray and Dan return from a short break with a packed roundup of AI developments across education and beyond. They discuss the online launch of the AEIOU interdisciplinary research hub that Dan attended, explore the promise and pitfalls of prompt engineering—including the idea of the “Uber prompt”—and share first impressions of the OpenAI Academy. Ray unpacks misleading headlines about Bill Gates “replacing teachers” with AI and instead spotlights the real message about AI tutors. They also dive into the 2027 AI forecast report, the...
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This week's news we rushed through includes "Study Buddy or Influencer?", the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into the use of Gen AI in the Australia Education System
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Employment_Education_and_Training/AIineducation/Report
NSW EduChat has been extended for all teachers in all New South Wales Schools - https://www.innovationaus.com/nsw-teachers-to-get-time-saving-genai-tool/
Learn more about the NSW EduChat chatbot in the first episode of Series 9
Microsoft announced Copilot Wave 2
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2024/09/16/microsoft-365-copilot-wave-2-pages-python-in-excel-and-agents/
OpenAI's new model o1-preview came out - and it's much, much better and logical reasoning and maths
Find out what people think by looking at what Ethan Mollick is saying about it (and, as I suggest on the podcast, keenly watch Dan Hart's posts as he's benchmarking it now in the context of EduChat)
Google released a podcast-generator as part of NotebookLM, which turns any kind of paper/book etc into a short podcast. To find out what it's like I gave it the top research paper from the podcast last time and you can compare it versus me! There's a quick demo review by Ethan here and you can login and have a play directly here: https://notebooklm.google.com/ (it has two main uses, because on top of this autopodcast, it's original purpose was to allow you give it a pile of documents and it can work with all of them at the same time for q&a, summaries etc)
Research
Here's the links to all nine papers we discussed in this week's episode:
Generative AI in Real-World Workplaces
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prodnew/2024/07/Generative-AI-in-Real-World-Workplaces.pdf
Can Large Language Models Make the Grade?
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3657604.3664693
PlagBench: Exploring the Duality of Large Language Models in Plagiarism Generation and Detection
https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.16288
The global landscape of academic guidelines for generative AI and Large Language Models
https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18842
"Is ChatGPT a Better Explainer than My Professor?": Evaluating the Explanation Capabilities of LLMs in Conversation Compared to a Human Baseline
https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.18512
Perceived Impact of Generative AI on Assessments: Comparing Educator and Student Perspectives in Australia, Cyprus, and the United States
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666920X24000729
Jill Watson: Scaling and Deploying an AI Conversational Agent in Online Classrooms
https://dilab.gatech.edu/publications/jill-watson-scaling-and-deploying-an-ai-conversational-agent-in-online-classrooms/
https://dilab.gatech.edu/test/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ITS2024_JillWatson_paper.pdf
Integrating AI in College Education: Positive yet Mixed Experiences with ChatGPT
https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.05810
The AI Companion in Education: Analyzing the Pedagogical Potential of ChatGPT in Computer Science and Engineering
https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.05205