In years gone by, we said that students went to college to gather knowledge. Now, college is appropriately expected to be much more about building wisdom. The advent of the internet toward the end of the last century went a long way to stimulate this shift to the emphasis on wisdom. More recently, artificial intelligence has further accelerated the move. Those of us in higher education who still have our focus on knowledge gathering in our classes are a quarter of a century behind the times. Rote memorization of facts is out of date, supplanted by highly refined search and retrieval skills coupled with an ability to apply sophisticated critical and creative thinking to those data. We are at the turning point in higher learning where we must now shift our focus from memorization and recitation of facts to the synthesis and analysis of a much broader virtual “library” of knowledge. From this perspective, we will build wisdom among our students. This new level of learning will provide the platform for graduates and certificate completers to exercise leadership and vision in our society.
Wednesday, August 05, 2026
Robot reboot - McKinsey
A new generation of robotics is powering up. How can leaders capture the value at stake while ensuring successful human–machine collaboration? The market for general-purpose robotics, including humanoid robots, is poised to skyrocket—growing to an estimated $370 billion by 2040, up from under $1 billion today. Beyond their economic value, next-generation robots will think and act more autonomously, evolving from highly specialized machines into systems capable of performing a diverse set of tasks. The leap in general-purpose robots is being driven largely by advances in software—including AI—which enable robots to be more useful in different environments, such as manufacturing.
https://www.mckinsey.com/quarterly/the-five-fifty/five-fifty-robot-reboot
Tuesday, August 04, 2026
90% of students use AI in the classroom, Instructure poll finds - Laura Spitalniak, Higher Ed Dive
A large majority of college students — 90% — report using artificial intelligence in class at least occasionally, according to new survey data from ed tech provider Instructure. Nearly two-thirds of college instructors, 61%, said the same. But the survey, released Tuesday, also found that only 11% of higher ed instructors received comprehensive AI training, while 41% said they had not received any formal training on AI. Educators are looking for support in the form of hands-on training, clear guidance from their institutions about AI use, and ongoing professional development on the topic, according to Instructure.
California launches first-in-the-nation AI literacy initiative with SDSU leadership - San Diego State University
San Diego State University is co-leading AI-Ready California, a first-in-the-nation statewide pilot micro-credential program, offered to Californians interested in expanding their AI literacy and preparing to join the workforce of the future. “Artificial intelligence has rapidly become a foundational skill for work, much like digital literacy became a generation ago,” said James P. Frazee, SDSU’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “AI-Ready California is about ensuring every Californian has the opportunity to build the knowledge, judgment and confidence to use AI responsibly and effectively – regardless of their background or career path – and to be competitive for our changing workforce,” said Frazee, also a founding member of the California State University AI Workforce Acceleration Board.
Monday, August 03, 2026
How many Americans are using AI — and how? - USA Facts
35% of American households are using AI to find information. 14% of people trust that information. New Census Bureau data shows that 57% of Americans have used AI tools to search, brainstorm, complete work or school tasks, and more. Forty-two percent of respondents reported a productivity boost, though the responses also show concern with trust, data privacy, and career impact. This data comes from the Bureau’s Household Trends and Outlook Pulse Survey, which collected responses from June 16 to 25, 2025 and came out in April 2026.
As college graduates fret over finding jobs, a record shortage of workers is projected - Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report
But economists are sounding alarms that the AI talk is masking a different problem. It’s not that there won’t be enough jobs, these experts say — it’s that the United States is already facing what’s projected to be the biggest shortage of workers in its history. The problem “could hobble the American economy for years to come,” predicts the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. “The largest labor shortage the country has ever seen,” the Lightcast labor market data company calls it. JPMorganChase warns of a national security risk from “a pervasive talent deficit that constrains the nation’s capacity to build, compete, and protect its interests.” And it’s not only tech workers. There will be shortages in the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of nurses, physicians, teachers, engineers, pharmacists, mental health counselors, construction workers and airplane mechanics, both government and independent sources project. Most are jobs AI generally can’t do.
Sunday, August 02, 2026
A ‘buffet’ model of faculty development to support evolving use of AI - Ben Kei Daniel, Times Higher Education
A flexible, agile approach to AI skills development allows faculty and students to choose the guidance, resources and learning opportunities that best fit their roles and contexts. A “buffet” approach recognises this and gives staff and students multiple pathways for responsible and meaningful engagement. Instead of relying on rigid, one-size-fits-all policies, the model provides flexible, context-based support that encourages responsible and effective AI use. It provides faculty and students with a high degree of choice in guidance, resources and learning with AI tools, allowing them to select the opportunities that best match their role, discipline, confidence and experience. Our experience shows that faculty and students gain confidence and competence in using AI over time through repeated engagement, practical work and dialogue with colleagues.
Stop policing AI in the classroom, start teaching it - Zakaria Lacheheb, the Conversation
When handheld calculators entered classrooms in the 1970s, critics sounded the alarm on a wave of math illiteracy. With the internet, the panic shifted to the death of reading. Yet, neither apocalypse happened. Instead, education adapted, turning these disruptors into essential extensions of human intelligence. Generative AI marks a similar turning point for higher education. In lecture halls across Malaysia and Indonesia, students routinely use tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for everything from research and writing to coding and problem-solving. Many universities are pushing back against this trend, introducing stricter regulations, academic penalties, and AI-detection software. This response fundamentally misjudges the challenge. The question isn’t whether students should use AI — they already do. The real question is how universities will train them to use it responsibly.
Saturday, August 01, 2026
Scale can measure university students' confidence in using AI - Koc University, Phys.org
Artificial intelligence technologies are becoming increasingly prominent in higher education. Adaptive learning platforms, intelligent tutoring systems and automated feedback tools are now widely used in university education. Alongside this transformation, attention has shifted not only to students' use of AI tools but also to their confidence in their ability to interact effectively with these systems. AI self-efficacy refers to students' confidence in their ability to use and adapt to artificial intelligence technologies effectively. The researchers note that although several scale adaptation studies have been conducted in Türkiye in areas such as AI literacy, AI anxiety and AI acceptance, validated AI self-efficacy scales focusing specifically on university students and educational settings remain limited. The study therefore aimed to provide a reliable and valid Turkish measurement tool for assessing AI self-efficacy among university students.
From adoption to impact: Three horizons of AI transformation - McKinsey
AI is now the top technology spending priority for many organizations, as leaders put powerful tools into employees’ hands, automate parts of existing workflows, and urge people to experiment. Yet results are still falling short of leaders’ ambitions. The reason is becoming clearer: AI does not create enterprise value simply because more people use it. Individual productivity gains matter, but they rarely translate into lasting advantage when the organization around them stays the same. Companies moving furthest ahead do two crucial things differently. First, they focus on areas where AI can create the most value, redesigning and rewiring workflows around what the technology makes possible, rather than spreading pilots across the organization or simply automating existing processes. Second, they treat AI transformation as an organizational change effort, not just a technology deployment, by investing in the workflows, behaviors, skills, leadership practices, and change management needed to make new ways of working stick.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Future-Ready Strategies for Technology Leaders in Higher Education - Nathan Eddy, EdTech
Higher education technology leaders face an increasingly difficult balancing act. Enrollment pressures, tighter budgets and rising expectations around artificial intelligence (AI) are forcing institutions to modernize while proving the value of every technology investment. At the same time, aging infrastructure, fragmented data and staffing constraints leave little room for missteps. Research from EDUCAUSE shows institutions are increasingly prioritizing data modernization to improve operational efficiency, student success, decision support and institutional research, while Deloitte’s 2026 Higher Education Trends report identifies data integration and responsible AI adoption as critical priorities for improving decision-making and student success. Rather than treating modernization as a collection of technology upgrades, higher education CIOs are increasingly sequencing investments around institutional priorities, strengthening data foundations and building governance that allows AI to deliver measurable value.
University of Nebraska's AI Institute Pools Research From 4 Campuses - Abby Sourwine, GovTech
In building a unified artificial intelligence strategy, the University of Nebraska system is striking a balance between siloed experimentation and top-down mandates. The university’s new AI Institute is serving as a coordinator of AI initiatives across its four campuses, while allowing each campus to determine where AI fits. Prior to the institute’s launch in February, AI efforts were largely organized within individual colleges and campuses. For example, the University of Nebraska Medical Center established the Center for Intelligent Health Care in 2020. According to Adrian Wisnicki, an English professor and co-director of the AI Institute, artificial intelligence research was going on for decades before the generative AI boom, but even those interested in experimenting with AI had little visibility into AI work happening elsewhere in the university system.
Thursday, July 30, 2026
Basic Income is proposed by several AI leaders - Peter Knight, BIEN
As the power of AI approaches AGI (Artificial General Intelligence – a hypothetical AI that matches or exceeds human cognitive abilities across all tasks), leaders of leading AI companies see a need for basic income to orovide needed demand as well as political stability. In a recent essay, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei wrote “If AI-driven labor displacement ends up being large in magnitude and permanently drives down the demand for labor, it will likely be necessary to go beyond mere incentive programs to long-term income support for a significant fraction of the labor force. Mechanisms such as universal basic income could be financed through taxes on relevant companies or raising the capital gains tax." In a May 2026 interview with The Atlantic, Open AI’s Sam Altman stated he no longer believes fixed UBI cash payments alone are enough to handle the economic shifts driven by AI. Instead, he advocates for “universal basic compute” or Public Wealth Funds, which would allow citizens to hold an actual ownership stake in AI-driven wealth and productivity.
In an AI-driven world, the fastest learner will win: An interview with McKinsey’s Sven Smit; McKinsey
Now, along comes AI to radically change the way we create and consume ideas. Artificial intelligence is a powerful force for progress, Smit explains, capable of dramatically increasing productivity and enabling a future of greater abundance. But to keep up in this era of rapidly expanding AI tools and information, he says, “we must continue to excel in quality checks and in critical thinking and judgment. Those cannot be replaced.” In this interview with McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro, Smit considers what “insights” will look like in the future, who the new experts will be, and how business leaders should think about knowledge in an AI-driven world. Ultimately, Smit sees the future as a dynamic collaboration between humans and AI—where judgment, creativity, and adaptability (along with hard work!) remain distinctly human skills even as machines take on more cognitive and physical tasks.
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