One New Thing: Campus Libraries Become AI Hubs - B. Navarre, US News

Alina Tugend is an award-winning education reporter. Here is her latest rave on an EdTech innovation: Campus libraries are becoming the go-to place for helping students, faculty and researchers learn about artificial intelligence and how to best integrate it into their work. For example, the libraries at Bryn Mawr College and the University of Oklahoma both provide AI “sandboxes” – shared virtual spaces for experimentation and education about various AI tools with ongoing support. This year, the University of Virginia launched its AI Literacy and Action Lab, developed in partnership with the university’s library. The lab is based on a framework created by Leo S. Lo, UVA’s new university librarian and dean of libraries, that integrates technical knowledge, ethical awareness, critical thinking, practical use and societal impact.

https://www.usnews.com/education/u-s-news-higher-ground/articles/2026-05-07/artificial-intelligence-college-library

Chico State’s 2026-27 Book in Common to Tackle Artificial Intelligence - Chico State

The AI Con is a thought-provoking work examining the rise of artificial intelligence and its far-reaching impacts on society, education and the economy. The selection comes amid heightened interest and debate surrounding AI technologies, including within higher education. Co-authored by a University of Washington linguistics professor and a former Google employee, the book takes a critical look at artificial intelligence, exploring how it functions, the realities behind its rapid expansion, and the social, ethical and environmental implications of its use. Topics include the influence of AI on jobs and creative industries, concerns about academic integrity, and the environmental costs associated with large-scale data centers. “AI is now part of nearly every aspect of our lives,” Mahlis said. “This book helps readers understand not just what AI does, but how it works, and encourages us to question both the hype and the real consequences.”

https://today.csuchico.edu/chico-states-2026-27-book-in-common-to-tackle-artificial-intelligence/

Leadership Vision of the COLO to Shape Higher Ed Future? - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

The chief online learning officers at colleges and universities are increasingly charting the future of teaching and learning. We are now on the cusp of a significant adjustment in the model of higher education.  Who else within the institution’s administration has the combination of technological, pedagogical and innovative knowledge and experience to lead us into the future? The COLO’s knowledge of advanced technologies coupled with the experience of overseeing the application of the vast array of online technologies as they have evolved over the past 30 years is the combination we need to succeed. Our chief online learning officers bring credibility and sagacity to the table in leading us while making this critically important next step in enhancing online learning in higher education.

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/online-trending-now/2026/05/13/leadership-vision-colo-shape-higher-ed-future

Instructure Pays Ransom to Canvas Hackers - Kathryn Palmer, Inside Higher Ed

Although the monetary value of the deal is unknown, Instructure says the cybercriminals have returned the hacked personal data and offered assurance “that no Instructure customers will be extorted as a result of this incident.” Instructure has paid a ransom to a gang of cybercriminals that have twice hacked the company’s learning management system, Canvas, over the past week and a half. According to an update published by the education-technology company Monday night, the deal means that the hackers have returned the compromised data of some 275 million users across more than 8,800 institutions.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/administrative-tech/2026/05/11/instructure-pays-ransom-canvas-hackers

Global infrastructure’s inflection poin - Alistair Green, ReThink McKinsey

Infrastructure is a crucial component of economic growth. Reliable transport, logistics, energy, communications, and other critical building blocks are vital to keep industries running. But much of the world’s infrastructure is getting old and outmoded and is no longer suited for the challenges ahead. Many systems that were built decades ago are nearing the end of their lifespans. Even newer infrastructure can come under pressure from shifting population dynamics, climate volatility, or digital disruption. Growing urbanization, geopolitical shifts, and the arrival of new technologies are revealing the limits of existing infrastructure systems.Meanwhile, what we call “infrastructure” is changing. For decades, this term referred mostly to traditional assets such as roads, bridges, ports, and power grids. Today, the definition of infrastructure is expanding to include tech-driven prerequisites for modern growth, such as hyperscale data centers, fiber networks, and electric-vehicle-charging stations.

https://www.mckinsey.com/~/Global infrastructure’s inflection poin/mckinsey/email/rethink/2026/05/2026-05-06e.html

AI Outperforms ER Doctors in Diagnostic Cases, Study Points to Collaborative Care - Macy Meyer, CNN

The study, published in the journal Science, found that a state-of-the-art large language model outperformed human doctors on a range of common clinical tasks. Using real emergency department data and hundreds of physician comparisons, the model matched or even exceeded human clinician performance in diagnostic choices, emergency triage and determining next steps in management. The authors of the study said those results do not mean AI models are ready to replace human doctors. Instead, the results indicate that industry professionals need faster, more rigorous standards for evaluation and rules for using AI in medicine. 

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/new-study-finds-ai-llm-outperforms-human-doctors/

Staying Ahead with AI: My Experience Completing a Micro Credential - Blog Donegal ETB

I decided to enrol in the Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (Level 4) micro‑credential with Donegal ETB: to build a strong foundation in AI and ensure that I stay ahead of the curve in my field. AI is transforming industries at a pace we’ve never seen before. As someone responsible for supporting resiliency across a large healthcare organisation, I need to understand the tools and technologies that are becoming integral to decision‑making, risk management, and operational continuity. I wanted to understand what’s behind the systems, how they work, and what they mean for the future of my profession. This micro‑credential felt like the right first step. One of the biggest benefits was gaining a solid grounding in what AI is and the real concepts and systems behind it. Understanding AI’s origins and fundamentals has given me a stronger lens through which to view the changes happening across our sector. I’m already applying that insight in my day‑to‑day work, especially when considering the risks, opportunities, and implications of new technologies.

https://donegaletb.ie/blog/2026/05/05/staying-ahead-with-ai-my-experience-completing-a-micro-credential/

Making mergers work: A playbook for public sector consolidations - McKinsey

Government consolidations are far less common than private sector ones. However, when government M&A occurs, five principles can guide the process and facilitate smooth transitions. Private sector M&A is widely reported on, and while they have a mixed track record, they often demonstrate how large, independent organizations can come together to create value. However, government M&A occurs far less frequently. Although the public sector differs in important ways—such as lacking a profit motive, operating under distinct governance structures, and moving through slower decision cycles—core change-management principles still apply. This article explores five principles, in particular, that can help ensure public sector M&A is successful.

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/making-mergers-work-a-playbook-for-public-sector-consolidations

UW System Will Give Raises to Faculty in High-Demand Fields - Inside Higher Ed

The University of Wisconsin system will give more than 2,300 faculty in high-demand fields a pay raise this summer, The Cap Times reported. The State Legislature appropriated $27 million annually for the increases, which will be doled out with the “goal of focusing on market competitiveness of those faculty in high demand fields of study,” which include biomedical sciences, education, graphic design and veterinary medicine, the distribution plan states. To determine which fields are included, the system used Department of Workforce Development data on high-demand jobs that require a bachelor’s degree. Nearly 16 percent fewer adults started college for the first time this fall compared to the previous year.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/05/06/uw-system-will-give-raises-faculty-high-demand-fields

What’s Behind a Drop in New Adult Learners This Fall? - Inside Higher Ed

Nearly 16 percent fewer adults started college for the first time this fall compared to the previous year. Some say the change represents rightsizing after an enrollment boom, but others say it’s a reversal worth keeping an eye on. In the economic upheaval that followed the COVID-19 pandemic, adult students flocked to higher education in droves. Every fall from 2021 to 2024, the number of first-time students over the age of 25 grew—including a substantial jump in fall 2024, when new students older than 25 grew 18.7 percent over the previous year, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data. But this past fall, that trend reversed. The number of first-time learners over the age of 25 dropped by 15.5 percent from fall 2024 to fall 2025. 

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/age/2026/05/06/whats-behind-drop-new-adult-learners-fall

AI Is Now Improving Itself - There's an AI for That

This video explores the concept of recursive self-improvement, where AI systems increasingly design and refine their own successors. It traces this idea from mid-century predictions of an "intelligence explosion" to current milestones, such as Google DeepMind's Alpha Evolve and OpenAI’s GPT models, which are now being used to write their own code and accelerate the training of future iterations. The narrative suggests we are moving toward a "singularity" where AI contribution to its own development may eventually outpace human input. [00:36] However, the video also highlights significant bottlenecks that could flatten this growth curve, including the exhaustion of high-quality training data by 2028, immense energy requirements, and the "mother of all demos" lesson that team-based innovation often hits a wall. Instead of endless exponential growth, the trend is shifting toward "reasoning" models that think longer rather than just getting larger, and the race to build fully autonomous AI researchers by 2028. [09:01] {Gemini 3 Thinking  Mode assisted with the summary of this video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LuNOY0MpGE

Personalized Learning and AI: Revolutionizing Education in the Modern Era - Sanjay Kulkarni, Jaro Education

The Strategic Importance of AI in Education: Scaling Excellence

How AI Revolutionizes Personalized Learning: The Mechanics of Adaptation

AI in Education Examples: From Virtual Tutors to Predictive Analytics

The Future of AI in Education: Immersive and Predictive Frontiers

https://www.jaroeducation.com/blog/personalized-learning-and-ai

AI Agents in Education: What’s Working and What’s Missing - Abby Sourwine, GovTech

As universities pilot agentic AI for advising and administrative tasks, its place in teaching and learning remains unclear. Experts say decision-makers will need to look carefully at reliability, risks and partners. “We are in the earliest days,” said Nicole Engelbert, vice president of product strategy for student systems at Oracle. “Take a side eye on what anyone is saying about what’s happening in a pervasive way.” “Education is specifically different than your normal institutional tasks,” said Jake Burley, a researcher at the Applied Ethics Center at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. “There’s a strong sense that there’s something personal or powerful about the educational experience.”

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/ai-agents-in-education-whats-working-and-whats-missing

Teach students to ask better questions with Artificial Intelligence - Yiming V. Wang & Christoph Heubeck, Nature

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has entered university classrooms at a remarkable speed, challenging not only how students learn but also how teachers can tell where thinking is happening1,2,3. AI use shows more than rapid adaptation to a new tool: it also exposes how academic training has long shaped the questions students ask. Conventionally, many questions are framed to elicit coherence rather than conflict, synthesis rather than uncertainty, for example: “Summarise the state of knowledge …”, “Explain the mechanisms of…”. Put to an AI system, the responses often smooth disagreement and blur the limits of evidence4,5. The challenge in AI use is therefore not how far students should rely on AI but whether universities can help them ask questions that expose uncertainty rather than conceal it. We call this approach “grounded inquiry”, which we define as using AI to expose disagreements and weak support, trace claims to evidence, and make uncertainty apparent within a curated set of primary literature sources. We find that this approach helps Earth science students to think more independently and critically.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03536-6