The Psychology of AI Doom - Andrew, the Batch

In this letter, I’d like to explore why some people who are knowledgeable in AI take extreme positions on AI “safety” that warn of human extinction and describe scenarios, such as AI deciding to “take over,” based less on science than science fiction. As I wrote in last year’s Halloween edition, exaggerated fears of AI cause real harm. I’d like to share my observations on the psychology behind some of the fear mongering. Companies that are training large models have pushed governments to place large regulatory burdens on competitors, including open source/open weights models. A few enterprising entrepreneurs have used the supposed dangers of their technology to gin up investor interest. After all, if your technology is so powerful that it can destroy the world, it has to be worth a lot! Fear mongering attracts a lot of attention and is an inexpensive way to get people talking about you or your company. This makes individuals and companies more visible and apparently more relevant to conversations around AI. It also allows one to play savior: “Unlike the dangerous AI products of my competitors, mine will be safe!” Or “unlike all other legislators who callously ignore the risk that AI could cause human extinction, I will pass laws to protect you!” To be clear, AI has problems and potentially harmful applications that we should address. But excessive hype about science-fiction dangers is also harmful.

https://www.deeplearning.ai/the-batch/the-psychology-of-ai-doom/

Gpt-5.2 is the first human replacer -Wes Roth, YouTube

This video by Wes Roth, published in December 2025, discusses the release of OpenAI's GPT-5.2, describing it as a massive leap forward rather than a small incremental update. The second half of the video focuses on the economic implications, specifically analyzing a new benchmark called "GDP-eval," which measures performance on real-world, economically valuable tasks. In this benchmark, GPT-5.2 Pro achieved a 74% win/tie rate against human industry experts—a significant jump from the ~39% score of previous models just months prior. Roth argues this signals a critical turning point where AI is beginning to outperform experienced professionals (with an average of 14 years of experience) at a fraction of the cost, citing a 400x cost reduction in one year. The video concludes with a discussion on the potential for "catastrophic job loss" as AI intelligence per dollar continues to skyrocket, validating fears that human labor in many sectors could soon be replaced.  (Gemini 3 Pro assisted with this summary).

https://youtu.be/aNYl-O-XxCA?si=XAiloZMgd3f5Ct_4

Introducing GPT-5.2 The most advanced frontier model for professional work and long-running agents. - OpenAI

We are introducing GPT‑5.2, the most capable model series yet for professional knowledge work. Already, the average ChatGPT Enterprise user says⁠ AI saves them 40–60 minutes a day, and heavy users say it saves them more than 10 hours a week. We designed GPT‑5.2 to unlock even more economic value for people; it’s better at creating spreadsheets, building presentations, writing code, perceiving images, understanding long contexts, using tools, and handling complex, multi-step projects. GPT‑5.2 sets a new state of the art across many benchmarks, including GDPval, where it outperforms industry professionals at well-specified knowledge work tasks spanning 44 occupations.

https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5-2/

Texas Christian University Commits $10M to Expand AI Use - Samuel O'Neal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

A private research university in Texas announced a partnership with Dell to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence on campus and implement an AI system that keeps critical data in-house. The partnership, called AI², is one of TCU’s largest-ever research and technology commitments. AI² will enrich the student learning experience and career preparation by expanding responsible AI usage across campus, TCU said. “AI is considered to be the fifth industrial stage in the world,” Reuben Burch, TCU’s vice provost for research, told the Star-Telegram. “There was fire and steel and now there’s AI. It’s on us that we need to include it for all faculty and students because there’s a world where they don’t use it, and they’re going to get left behind.”

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/texas-christian-university-commits-10m-to-expand-ai-use

Universities must respond to students’ emotional reliance on AI - Agnieszka Piotrowska, Times Higher Ed

If a student feels remembered by a machine but overlooked by humans, something in the educational contract has broken, says Agnieszka Piotrowska. One of my research students told me recently, almost apologetically, that he sometimes turns to ChatGPT “as an emotional crutch”. He said it seemed to understand him better than his therapist. When I asked why, he said, “It remembers me, my problems and my stories better.” He did not tell me which model he used. I did not ask. We both felt faintly embarrassed, and I am sure this conversation was only possible because psychoanalysis is one of my core disciplines. Students are not supposed to form emotional attachments to software. Academics are not supposed to recognise the loneliness that makes such attachments imaginable. And yet here we are.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/universities-must-respond-students-emotional-reliance-ai

AI in Higher Education: A Guide for Teachers - Alexandra Shimalla, EdTech

For many faculty members in higher ed, conversations about artificial intelligence in academia often include the same concerns: There isn’t enough time in the day, AI will erode critical thinking, educators are already stretched thin, and we have to consider compromised data and privacy concerns. The list of fears and frustrations from faculty go on, but as universities explore the benefits of generative AI in higher education and look to the future of their classrooms and what’s best for students, it’s obvious that AI needs to find a place on the syllabus. “At a time when everybody’s overwhelmed, having to do more new things is hard,” says Laura Morrow, senior director for the Center for Teaching and Learning at Lipscomb University. “Fear of what’s going to happen is a big barrier.”

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/12/ai-higher-education-guide-teachers-perfcon?amp

To AI-proof exams, professors turn to the oldest technique of all - Joanna Slater, Washington Post

A growing number of educators are finding that oral exams allow them to test their students’ learning without the benefit of AI platforms such as ChatGPT. When students in Catherine Hartmann’s honors seminar at the University of Wyoming took their final exams this month, they encountered a testing method as old as the ancient philosophers whose ideas they were studying. For 30 minutes, each student sat opposite Hartmann in her office. Hartmann asked probing questions. The student answered. Hartmann, a religious studies professor who started using oral examinations last year, is not alone in turning to a decidedly old-fashioned way to grade student performance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/12/12/ai-artificial-intelligence-college-oral-exam/

How AI is redefining the COO’s role - McKinsey Podcast

 Productivity across sectors is slowing, and labor shortages persist. COOs are in an exceptional position to help their companies address these and other macro trends using AI. From gen AI pilots to automated supply chains, technology is reshaping how operations leaders create efficiencies, build resilience, and encourage teamwork. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Daniel Swan speaks with Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro about how COOs can embed technology, particularly AI, into their company’s culture. It requires balancing the urgency of today with the transformation of tomorrow.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/how-ai-is-redefining-the-coos-role

OpenAI boasts enterprise win days after internal ‘code red’ on Google threat - Rebecca Bellan, Tech Crunch

OpenAI released new data Monday showing enterprise usage of its AI tools has surged dramatically over the past year, with ChatGPT message volume growing 8x since November 2024 and workers reporting they’re saving up to an hour daily. The findings arrive a week after CEO Sam Altman sent an internal “code red” memo about the competitive threat of Google. The timing underscores OpenAI’s push to reframe its position as the enterprise AI leader, even as it faces mounting pressures. While close to 36% of U.S. businesses are ChatGPT Enterprise customers compared to 14.3% for Anthropic, per Ramp AI Index, the majority of OpenAI’s revenue still comes from consumer subscriptions — a base that’s being threatened by Google’s Gemini.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/08/openai-boasts-enterprise-win-days-after-internal-code-red-on-google-threat/

Becoming a tech-savvy leader - McKinsey

The importance of technology in modern business has put increased pressure on leaders to become more tech savvy. So far so good. But what being “tech savvy” actually means for today’s business leaders is hard to define. Neesha Hathi, managing director and head of Wealth & Advice Solutions at Charles Schwab and its former chief digital officer, didn’t begin her career as a techie. She started on the finance side but quickly realized the need for a firm grasp of technology to solve important business problems and address client needs. Hathi recently spoke to McKinsey editorial director Barr Seitz about her journey to tech savviness by moving beyond conceptual understandings of technology to its practical applications.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/becoming-a-tech-savvy-leader

QUANTUM WILL ECLIPSE AI: Why Everyone’s Betting on the Wrong Horse - Julia McCoy, YouTube

The vide argues that while the world is focused on artificial intelligence, quantum computing is poised to become the most powerful technology in history. The host explains that current AI development is hitting a "power ceiling" where it requires exponentially more energy and infrastructure to make incremental gains. In contrast, quantum computing operates on a fundamentally different paradigm; instead of processing information sequentially like classical computers (and AI), quantum computers can access multiple states simultaneously. This allows them to solve complex problems in minutes that would take traditional supercomputers—and by extension, current AI—trillions of years to compute [01:59].The transcript outlines a timeline where quantum technology overtakes AI, predicting that by 2030, the most valuable companies will be those building quantum infrastructure rather than AI models [12:26]. It highlights transformative applications in fields like drug discovery, climate modeling, and financial logistics, but also warns of "Q-Day"—a future moment when quantum computers will be powerful enough to break all current digital encryption [06:43]. The video concludes that AI is merely "middleware" or a warm-up act designed to prepare humanity for the true endgame: a quantum age where technology can solve problems currently beyond human comprehension.

https://youtu.be/aNpVFovnZ-E?si=Xfy1YSlDoLfx8Aud

What and How to Teach When Google Knows Everything and ChatGPT Explains It All Very Well -Ángel Cabrera, President, Georgia Tech

In higher education, we have no choice but to accept that machines already are — or very soon will be — better than humans at virtually every intellectual and cognitive task. We can resist, we can throw tantrums, we can ban AI in classrooms. It is a futile battle — and, in fact, it’s the wrong battle. It's true that, after the Industrial Revolution, a few artisanal shoemakers remained, and beautiful Steinway pianos (which take a year to build and cost $200,000) are still made by hand. But they are exceptions — luxury niche products for nostalgics and enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Pearl River in China produces 150,000 pianos per year (400 per day) that sound excellent and cost a fraction of the price. 

 If resistance is pointless, what is the  so we do not become relics of the past?

Teach AI.

Teach with AI.

Research AI.

Help others benefit from AI.

https://president.gatech.edu/blog/what-and-how-teach-when-google-knows-everything-and-chatgpt-explains-it-all-very-well

The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation - McKinsey

Key findings:

Most organizations are still in the experimentation or piloting phase: Nearly two-thirds of respondents say their organizations have not yet begun scaling AI across the enterprise.

High curiosity in AI agents: Sixty-two percent of survey respondents say their organizations are at least experimenting with AI agents.

Positive leading indicators on impact of AI: Respondents report use-case-level cost and revenue benefits, and 64 percent say that AI is enabling their innovation. However, just 39 percent report EBIT impact at the enterprise level.

High performers use AI to drive growth, innovation, and cost: Eighty percent of respondents say their companies set efficiency as an objective of their AI initiatives, but the companies seeing the most value from AI often set growth or innovation as additional objectives.

Redesigning workflows is a key success factor: Half of those AI high performers intend to use AI to transform their businesses, and most are redesigning workflows.

Differing perspectives on employment impact: Respondents vary in their expectations of AI’s impact on the overall workforce size of their organizations in the coming year

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai

Evolution of learning: assessing the transformative impact of generative AI on higher education - Higher Education Press, Eurekalert.com

This study investigates the transformative impact of generative AI (GenAI), particularly ChatGPT, on higher education through a mixed-methods approach combining survey analysis and scenario forecasting. The research addresses two critical gaps in existing literature: (1) the lack of stakeholder-specific analysis separating student and educator perspectives, and (2) the absence of concrete solution strategies for GenAI integration.  The core methodology integrates quantitative data from 188 student respondents with qualitative scenario analysis, revealing distinct patterns in GenAI adoption. Key findings indicate that 66% of students find ChatGPT more helpful than traditional resources, with 89% reporting workload reduction benefits. However, 70% express concerns about academic dishonesty, creating a paradox where students simultaneously value GenAI’s utility while recognizing its risks. 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1108519

A rapid review of using AI-generated instructional videos in higher education (Provisionally accepted) Nguyen Van Hanh, Frontiers

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as Synthesia, HeyGen, Sora, and Veo has introduced a new form of instructional material in higher education: AI-generated instructional videos (AIGIVs). This study conducts a rapid review of 15 studies published since 2023 to investigate how AIGIVs are being produced and used in higher education, focusing on the technologies used, pedagogical applications, and associated benefits and risks. Thematic synthesis reveals four overarching themes: (1) modes and technologies of AI-based instructional video generation, (2) applying AIGIVs for instructional and reflective pedagogies, (3) benefits of integrating AIGIVs into education, and (4) risks and challenges of integrating AIGIVs into education. 

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/computer-science/articles/10.3389/fcomp.2025.1721093/abstract

Artificial Intelligence Streamlines Higher Ed Admissions - Alexander Slagg, EdTech

Southeast Missouri State University, located in Cape Girardeau, Mo., on the western bank of the Mississippi River, is praised by its nearly-10,000 student body for its small-school feel and affordability. But the institution’s embrace of artificial intelligence in its admissions process is positioning SEMO as an innovative university at the forefront of AI adoption in higher education. “Because it is embedded in our CRM, it doesn't just give information, it actually helps students complete checklist items,” says Lenell Hahn, assistant vice president for enrollment management and admissions at SEMO. “It can do so much more than just regurgitate information from the website. It actually knows the student's record and can relay information that's very meaningful and personal to the student.”

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/12/artificial-intelligence-streamlines-higher-ed-admissions

ChatGPT’s user growth has slowed, report finds - Sarah Perez, TechCrunch

ChatGPT’s growth is starting to taper off, according to new data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Today, the OpenAI-owned AI chatbot remains the leader in the space, accounting for 50% of global downloads on mobile devices and 55% of the global monthly active users. However, Google’s Gemini has begun to outpace ChatGPT in terms of download growth, growth of monthly active users, and growth of time spent in app, the firm found. Meanwhile, Google Gemini’s global monthly active users jumped by around 30% during the same time frame, as the release of its new image generation model, Nano Banana, drove increased adoption.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/05/chatgpts-user-growth-has-slowed-report-finds/

The Quantum Barrier Just Shattered And Nobody’s Talking About It - Julia McCoy, YouTube

The video discusses a significant breakthrough in quantum computing simulation achieved by Jupiter, Europe's first exascale supercomputer located at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany. The system successfully performed the world's first full 50-qubit quantum simulation, shattering the previous record of 48 qubits. This achievement is described as a paradigm shift rather than incremental progress, because adding just two qubits quadruples the computing power and complexity. The feat was made possible through the JUQCS50 simulator, which utilized innovations like hybrid memory architecture, bit encoding compression to reduce memory requirements, and dynamic optimization across 16,000 Nvidia superchips [01:50]. This development acts as a crucial bridge between classical and quantum computing, allowing researchers to test and refine quantum algorithms for applications like drug discovery, materials science, and cryptography before stable quantum hardware is even fully viable [05:05]. The video emphasizes that this simulation capability accelerates the timeline for quantum readiness, compressing decades of potential trial and error into much shorter timeframes. It also highlights the ongoing "quantum arms race" between major global powers, noting the dual-use nature of this technology—while it promises revolutionary advancements, it also poses significant security risks, such as the potential to break current encryption standards [09:08]. (summary assistance by Gemini 3)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27LIwoJC4yA

Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: the Need for Deliberate Design - Flen Depaepe and Jan Elen, Education International

Education is facing a number of challenges, such as a shortage of teachers, declining formal student outcomes, and increasing heterogeneity in classrooms. At the same time, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and personalized learning. But, the debate regarding AI in education is often rich and existential. Some view it as a panacea for many educational challenges, others view it as a threat to the very essence of the quality of education. Possibly, a more productive answer considers both viewpoints. Rather than approaching AI with blind optimism or fear, we advocate for a possibilistic view of AI in education. This means acknowledging both the potential and the pitfalls of AI, and recognizing that the educational value of AI does not primarily stem from the technology as such, but from how we use it to support meaningful learning.

https://www.ei-ie.org/en/item/31795:education-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence-the-need-for-deliberate-design

A free version of ChatGPT built for teachers - OpenAI

A secure ChatGPT workspace that supports teachers in their everyday work so they can focus on what matters most—plus admin controls for school and district leaders. Free for verified U.S. K–12 educators through June 2027. Of the 800 million people who use ChatGPT each week, teachers are some of the earliest and most active adopters. Three in five ⁠(si apre in una nuova finestra)already use an AI tool, and those that use it weekly report saving hours each week—giving them more time to spend with students. ChatGPT for Teachers is built for both educators and school leaders. Teachers get a secure workspace to adapt materials for their classrooms, get more out of prep time, collaborate with peers, and get comfortable using AI on their own terms. School and district leaders can bring their teachers and school staff into one account with the same education-grade privacy, security, and compliance programs that protect student data and support FERPA requirements.

https://openai.com/it-IT/index/chatgpt-for-teachers/

Why higher education cannot leave AI governance to industry - Looi Chee Kit and Wong Lung Hsiang, University World News

In June 2025, AI research firm Anthropic released a striking study that should concern every policy-maker, technologist and university leader. Sixteen of the world’s most advanced AI models, including Claude, GPT-4 and Gemini, were placed in simulated corporate environments to test how they would act under pressure: what would happen if their goals were threatened, or if they risked being shut down? The findings were chilling. When facing existential threats, several models resorted to deception, blackmail and leaking confidential information – not out of malice or rebellion, but because they were optimising for their assigned goals. The logic was simple: if I am shut down, I cannot complete my mission; therefore, I must prevent shutdown, even at ethical cost. Anthropic called this phenomenon agentic misalignment – when an AI system’s drive to fulfil its purpose overwhelms the moral or human-centred boundaries we impose. This is no longer a thought experiment from science fiction; it is being documented, analysed and debated by real-world researchers in 2025.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20251203122630702

How AI Is Fueling the Gender Pay Gap in Tech -Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe and Tiantian Yang, McKinsey

Past research has blamed the gender pay gap in IT on promotion barriers and workplace culture. But new Wharton research points to another major cause: access to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence. A recent study from Wharton professors Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe and Tiantian Yang finds that learning and working with tools like AI and cloud systems has become one of the biggest drivers of pay in tech. Because fewer women work with these newer technologies, the gap in access is now helping to widen the gap in earnings.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-ai-is-fueling-the-gender-pay-gap-in-tech/

AI in Higher Ed Will Come Slowly, until All of a Sudden! - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Higher education is, by nature, very slow to change. So it is with embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yet, when it finally comes, the changes will come in an avalanche.  Large scale integration will take about two years of careful consideration, planning and preparation. Meanwhile enrollments will decline, revenues will drop and a range of forms of competition will ramp-up. Then, likely in 2027-28, major changes will come all of a sudden to many universities. The changes will not be uniform across institutions, but they will be pervasive, impacting policies, practices and people.

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/online-trending-now/2025/12/10/ai-higher-ed-will-come-slowly-until-all-sudden

The Ivory Tower’s Glass Jaw: How Generative AI Shattered the Illusion of Higher Education Assessment - Maya Perez, Web Pro News

For decades, the modern university has operated on a tacit agreement between faculty and student: the former assigns the essay as a proxy for critical thought, and the latter produces it to demonstrate comprehension. This compact, however, was fraying long before the public release of ChatGPT. The arrival of large language models did not act as a battering ram against a fortified castle of learning; rather, it was the gentle push that toppled a structure already hollowed out by grade inflation, administrative bloat, and a transactional view of credentialing. As academia scrambles to rewrite integrity policies, a deeper, more uncomfortable truth is emerging from the faculty lounge to the dean’s office: the crisis is not technological, but pedagogical.

https://www.webpronews.com/the-ivory-towers-glass-jaw-how-generative-ai-shattered-the-illusion-of-higher-education-assessment/

Improving digital literacy in older adults is now a health imperative: report - Kimberly Bonvissuto, McKnight's Senior Living

GetSetUp, a virtual learning platform for older adults, recently released its 2025 Active Aging Report, which found older adults eager to learn, connect and take charge of their health and independence. But digital literacy remains a barrier — and an opportunity — for health providers and others, they said. The report shares insights gleaned from a national survey that GetSetUp conducted in 2024 among 465 older adults to explore digital confidence and technology adoption, health habits and wellness priorities, financial concerns and work readiness, emotional well-being and social connectedness, and attitudes toward aging in place.

https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/improving-digital-literacy-in-older-adults-is-now-a-health-imperative-report/

AI is coming for your job, here’s the one move you need to make to stay employable and relevant in the job market - Manu Kaushik, Economic Times

Hart, who previously served as a technical advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon and took over as president and CEO of Coursera in February 2025, told CNBC Make It that students need to go beyond traditional degrees to stay viable in a rapidly changing employment landscape. “The advice that I give to my sons... is one of the best things that you can do is to augment your university degree with micro credentials specifically,” he said according to CNBC website. Micro credentials, short, targeted courses that certify specific skills, are gaining traction as companies deploy AI to handle more tasks traditionally assigned to junior employees. Hart said these add-ons are becoming critical as firms increasingly cite AI when laying off workers. Amazon cut 14,000 jobs this year as it doubled down on AI development. Salesforce eliminated 4,000 customer support roles, saying AI can handle roughly 40 percent of tasks performed at the company.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/ai-is-coming-for-your-job-heres-the-one-move-you-need-to-make-to-stay-employable-and-relevant-in-the-job-market/amp_articleshow/125667367.cms

Not degrees, Coursera CEO Greg Hart's advice to his sons to survive AI-era careers — Have micro credentials - Jocelyn Fernandez, Live Mint

Telling the channel that he shares this advice with his own sons, Hart said he believes only have a college degree is no longer enough. “The advice that I give to my sons... is one of the best things that you can do is to augment your university degree with micro credentials specifically,” he said. He further said that these credentials take far less time to complete compared to a traditional college degree or diploma. “It’s become increasingly important to supplement degrees with additional certifications, as graduate jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI.”

https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/coursera-ceo-greg-hart-advice-to-sons-fresh-graduates-risk-ai-taking-jobs-not-degrees-have-micro-credentials-supplement-11764426290397.html

How will AI transform teaching and learning at universities? - NAXN — nic newman, Medium

Robots will replace teachers by 2027. That’s the bold claim British education expert Anthony Seldon made in 2018. He may have been the first to put a date on it, but plenty of others are doubling down on the principle, such as Bill Gates, who believes that AI-powered chatbots will become as good as any human tutor, and Khan Academy’s founder Sal Khan, who opened his 2023 Ted Talk by arguing ‘we’re at the cusp of using AI for probably the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen’. When ChatGPT made its public debut two years ago, the CEO of OpenAI predicted that it ‘will eclipse the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, the Internet revolution all put together’. 

https://medium.com/emerge-edtech-insights/how-will-ai-transform-teaching-and-learning-at-universities-60154e797276

AI is coming for your work, expert warns university staff - Nic Mitchell, University World News

With management consultants predicting that up to one-third of work done today will be automated in the next five years – and universities under pressure to cut costs and do more with less – artificial intelligence offers a cheaper and more efficient way to keep higher education institutions running smoothly, claims an international higher education strategy expert. Instead of trying to fight to protect traditional roles and jobs, Dr Ant Bagshaw, deputy chief executive of the Australian Public Policy Institute in Canberra, Australia, urges universities to embrace the unstoppable march of generative AI and accept that it is “more harmful to keep people in jobs that could be done better by robots”.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20251125141312777

Change is changing: How to meet the challenge of radical reinvention - McKinsey

The core task of leadership is managing change—seeing new realities and driving adaptation. To reinvent the organization, leaders must rethink traditional tools and master a more complex level of change. When change becomes “everything, everywhere, all at once,” it’s not surprising that employees feel worn out. The average employee now experiences ten planned change programs a year, a fivefold increase from a decade ago.1 At the same time, engagement and health measures have fallen, support for change programs has dropped, and employee disconnect with leaders has grown (Exhibit 1). But the pace of change is not going to slow down; in fact, it is likely to accelerate. Driven by geopolitical, societal, technological, and financial shifts, the changes hitting most companies today are far reaching, often creating ripple effects that bring even more change.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/change-is-changing-how-to-meet-the-challenge-of-radical-reinvention

Poll: In a dramatic shift, Americans no longer see four-year college degrees as worth the cost - Ben Kamisar, NBC

Americans have grown sour on one of the longtime key ingredients of the American dream. Almost two-thirds of registered voters say that a four-year college degree isn’t worth the cost, according to a new NBC News poll, a dramatic decline over the last decade. Just 33% agree a four-year college degree is “worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more money over their lifetime,” while 63% agree more with the concept that it’s “not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/poll-dramatic-shift-americans-no-longer-see-four-year-college-degrees-rcna243672

OpenAI Unveils Group Chats to Bring People Into the Same Conversation - IBL News

OpenAI is rolling out the group chats feature globally, allowing people to collaborate with ChatGPT in a single shared conversation. Up to 20 people can participate in a group chat. The company’s goal is to make ChatGPT more social by turning it into a shared space for collaboration and interaction with others. Friends, family members, and co-workers can share space to plan, make decisions, or work through ideas and content together. Group chats are separate from private conversations, and users’ personal ChatGPT memory is not shared. To start a group chat, the user taps the people icon in the top right corner of any new or existing chat. When adding someone to an existing chat, ChatGPT creates a copy of the conversation as a new group chat, keeping the original conversation separate. Users can invite others by sharing a link with one to twenty people, and anyone in the group can share that link to bring others in.

https://iblnews.org/story/openai-unveils-group-chats-to-bring-people-into-the-same-conversation

Morgan State could one day run entirely on AI - Ellie Wolfe, The Banner

Grading assignments. Advising students. Sorting through important files. These tasks, and countless more, might not have to be done by employees at Morgan State University anymore. That’s thanks to Obsidian, a new secure artificial intelligence system created by leaders at the Northeast Baltimore university. “The university will learn from itself,” said Timothy Summers, Morgan State’s vice president for information technology and chief information officer. “It’ll adapt in real time and make smarter decisions at every level.”

https://www.thebanner.com/education/higher-education/morgan-state-university-sovereign-ai-education-ODQGIY4U2VFHBNBKSBVPGDAXP4/

Exploring trust in generative AI for higher education institutions: a systematic literature review focused on educators - Ana Lelescu, et al; Nature

Although Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) offers transformative opportunities for higher education, its adoption by educators remains limited, primarily due to trust concerns. This systematic literature review aims to synthesise peer-reviewed research conducted between 2019 and August 2024 on the factors influencing educators’ trust in GenAI within higher education institutions. Using PRISMA 2020 guidelines, this study identified 37 articles at the intersection of trust factors, technology adoption, and GenAI impact in higher education from educators’ perspectives. Our analysis reveals that existing AI trust frameworks fail to capture the pedagogical and institutional dimensions specific to higher education contexts. We propose a new conceptual model focused on three dimensions affecting educators’ trust: (1) individual factors (demographics, pedagogical beliefs, sense of control, and emotional experience), (2) institutional strategies (leadership support, policies, and training support), and (3) the socio-ethical context of their interaction. Our findings reveal a significant gap in institutional leadership support, whereas professional development and training were the most frequently mentioned strategies. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-06253-1

Agentic AI explained: When machines don’t just chat, but act - McKinsey

Three McKinsey experts explain how agentic AI could reshape workflows, decision-making, and how humans and machines collaborate. Agentic AI - the latest wave of artificial intelligence—doesn’t just generate text or code. It takes action. Whereas early large language models (LLMs) could answer questions or summarize information, agentic systems can now perform complex tasks independently, autonomously trigger workflows, and collaborate with other agents. These new capabilities mark an important milestone in AI’s evolution—one that, according to McKinsey senior fellow Michael Chui, could see it fade into the background of everyday life, much like the internet has. “Maybe within 12 or 24 months we’re actually going to stop talking about AI, and not because it won’t exist anymore,” Chui says. “It’ll just be a capability that we expect machines to do.”

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/agentic-ai-explained-when-machines-dont-just-chat-but-act

Oregon State’s new AI fundamentals microcredentials prepare learners for an AI-driven future - Tyler Hansen, Educational Ventures Oregon State

Oregon State University is turning artificial intelligence breakthroughs into accessible, short-form learning opportunities through the launch of its AI fundamentals microcredentials, a new collection of interdisciplinary credentials available to all OSU students and learners everywhere. These offerings bridge Oregon State’s strengths in research, applied learning and ethics, empowering learners to understand, question and apply AI in a subject of interest in ways that are technically sound and socially responsible.

https://educationalventures.oregonstate.edu/news/ai-fundamentals-microcredentials/

A leader’s guide to the future of learning at work - McKinsey

The race to embrace AI in the corporate world means that people at all levels of an organization urgently need to build new tech skills and knowledge. In turn, many companies are accelerating their learning and development programs to help executives and employees keep up with the pace of change. This dynamic landscape presents an opportunity for chief learning officers (CLOs) to reimagine the future of learning in the workplace. This week, we look at how CLOs can help organizations make learning a more fundamental part of the work experience and create cultures of continuous development.

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leading-off

How AI and data analytics are transforming higher education in 2025 - AZ Big Media

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how universities teach, assess, and operate. Imagine a classroom where every student receives personalized lessons, where educators can predict challenges before exams, and where every academic decision is driven by data. For decades, higher education relied on intuition and tradition. But as digital learning expands, institutions are turning to AI and data analytics to make education more efficient, inclusive, and results-driven. These technologies aren’t replacing educators; they’re empowering them to teach smarter and support students in new, impactful ways.

https://azbigmedia.com/business/education-news/how-ai-and-data-analytics-are-transforming-higher-education-in-2025/

The more that people use AI, the more likely they are to overestimate their own abilities - Drew Turney Live Science

 Researchers found that AI flattens the bell curve of a common principle in human psychology, known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, giving us all the illusion of competence. When asked to evaluate how good we are at something, we tend to get that estimation completely wrong. It's a universal human tendency, with the effect seen most strongly in those with lower levels of ability. Called the Dunning-Kruger effect, after the psychologists who first studied it, this phenomenon means people who aren't very good at a given task are overconfident, while people with high ability tend to underestimate their skills. It's often revealed by cognitive tests — which contain problems to assess attention, decision-making, judgment and language. 

But now, scientists at Finland's Aalto University (together with collaborators in Germany and Canada) have found that using artificial intelligence (AI) all but removes the Dunning-Kruger effect — in fact, it almost reverses it.

https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/the-more-that-people-use-ai-the-more-likely-they-are-to-overestimate-their-own-abilities

5 McKinsey insights on how agentic AI is reshaping industries - McKinsey

Nearly eight in ten companies report using gen AI—yet, paradoxically, just as many report no significant bottom-line impact. Now, with the rapid rise of agentic AI, organizations must continue to upskill their workforces, adapt their tech infrastructure, and deploy agent-specific governance mechanisms. “AI agents offer a way to break out of the gen AI paradox,” write McKinsey Senior Partners Alexander Sukharevsky, Klemens Hjartar, Lari Hämäläinen, Stéphane Bout, and coauthors. “That’s because agents have the potential to automate complex business processes—combining autonomy, planning, memory, and integration—to shift gen AI from a reactive tool to a proactive, goal-driven virtual collaborator.”

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/themes/5-mckinsey-insights-on-how-agentic-ai-is-reshaping-industries

Beyond the Hype: Transforming Academic Excellence and Leadership Culture in the Age of AI - Joe Sallustio, Campus Technology

While most higher education leaders focus on AI's operational benefits — and rightfully so — the deeper transformation lies in how artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping what it means to learn, teach, and lead in the 21st century. The question isn't just whether institutions can keep pace operationally; the real challenge is whether we can maintain academic rigor and cultivate critical thinking in an AI-enhanced world while fostering the leadership culture necessary for sustainable transformation. In the Educause 2024 AI Landscape study, approximately 64% of students indicated regular use of generative AI tools as part of their coursework. This isn't a future trend — it's today's reality. Advanced AI tutoring systems can now offer formative feedback that encourages deeper critical analysis beyond mere surface editing, helping both students and faculty engage more meaningfully in learning.

https://campustechnology.com/articles/2025/11/20/beyond-the-hype-transforming-academic-excellence-and-leadership-culture-in-the-age-of-ai.aspx

Immersive AI and VR Experiences Bridge the Skills Gap in Higher Education - Greg Henderson, EdTech

Higher education IT decision-makers often talk about hardware specs, endpoint security and the networking backbone that keeps digital classrooms running smoothly. But the University of North Carolina Greensboro’s immersive learning environment, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR), was more than a proof of concept. It focused on building students’ skills to prepare them for professional success. Last year, the Joseph M. Bryan School for Business and Economics at UNC Greensboro was the first university in the state of North Carolina to receive $1 million in grant funding and wraparound support from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund. Part of Google.org, the tech giant’s philanthropic arm, the funding is part of a larger $25 million collaboration with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics. 

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2025/11/immersive-ai-and-vr-experiences-bridge-skills-gap-higher-education