Readers can’t accurately distinguish between AI and human essays, researchers find - Anya Geist, Yale Daily News

In a project organized by four researchers, including three from the School of Medicine, researchers tasked readers with blindly reviewing 34 essays, 22 of which were human-written and 12 which were generated by artificial intelligence. Typically, they rated the composition and structure of the AI-generated essays higher. However, if they believed an essay was AI-generated, they were less likely to rank it as one of the overall best essays. Ultimately, the readers only accurately distinguished between AI and human essays 50 percent of the time, raising questions about the role of AI in academia and education. 

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2024/11/18/readers-cant-accurately-distinguish-between-ai-and-human-essays-researchers-find/

AI models work together faster when they speak their own language - Andrew Sparkes, New Scientist

Letting AI models communicate with each other in their internal mathematical language, rather than translating back and forth to English, could accelerate their task-solving abilities. Letting AI models communicate with each other in their internal mathematical language, rather than translating back and forth to English, could accelerate their task-solving abilities. 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2455173-ai-models-work-together-faster-when-they-speak-their-own-language/

Scale Is All You Need? Part 4-3: The Post-AGI-World - Kim Isenberg, Forward Future

“If AGI is successfully created, this technology could help us elevate humanity by increasing abundance, turbocharging the global economy, and aiding in the discovery of new scientific knowledge that changes the limits of possibility.” -OpenAI

This could give rise to a new kind of culture, one that differs greatly from today's ideals and values, since many of our basic assumptions – such as the value of academic achievements and political decision-making – will be challenged by the capabilities and possibilities of AI. And last but not least, human hubris will erode as we realize that our own species may not be the most intelligent on Earth and that even an artificial intelligence far surpasses our own intelligence.

https://www.forwardfuture.ai/p/scale-is-all-you-need-part-4-3-the-post-agi-world

How Higher Ed Can ‘Safeguard’ for Democracy - Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

Amid a tense and polarized election cycle, conversations about higher education’s role in democracy have been bubbling, spurring a renewed focus on civic engagement and constructive discourse. But a white paper released Thursday argues that to preserve a healthy republic, higher education leaders must also focus on making colleges more accessible and improving completion rates. “There is no one thing that explains the current state of our democracy, but I think that we overlook the dramatic role that higher education does play in predicting its health,” said Charles Ansell, vice president for research, policy and advocacy at Complete College America, the national advocacy group behind the report.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/2024/11/15/report-offers-playbook-higher-eds-role-democracy

The educational divide driving American politics to the right - Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post

 We don’t have stellar data yet — clerks in some states are still out there counting votes — but it seems that at the very least, Trump solidified the educational divide that has defined his era. In fact, if exit polls are to be believed, he appears to have expanded his White base of support to include elements of the Hispanic and Asian working class. It’s the culmination of a long-running trend. In the Reagan era, more Americans with college degrees identified as Republican or Republican-leaning, according to the General Social Survey from NORC at the University of Chicago. By 2021 and 2022, Democrats led that group by about 20 percentage points. People with graduate degrees have grown even more lopsided: Democrats now outnumber Republicans in that category by about 3 to 1.

https://wapo.st/40QjtsU

The Third Wave Of AI Is Here: Why Agentic AI Will Transform The Way We Work - Bernard Marr, Forbes

The chess pieces of artificial intelligence are being dramatically rearranged. While previous iterations of AI focused on making predictions or generating content, we're now witnessing the emergence of something far more sophisticated: AI agents that can independently perform complex tasks and make decisions. This third wave of AI, known as 'agentic AI,' represents a fundamental shift in how we think about and interact with artificial intelligence in the workplace.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/11/15/the-third-wave-of-ai-is-here-why-agentic-ai-will-transform-the-way-we-work/

New Jersey initiative brings back over 8,600 stopped-out students - Natalie Schwartz, Higher Ed Dive

A statewide effort in New Jersey to bring back students who left college before completing their credentials has spurred reenrollment for over 8,600 stopped-out students, according to a Tuesday announcement from the state higher education secretary’s office. Eighteen colleges will receive $1.6 million in grants to help stopped-out students cover things like unexpected expenses and application fees, the office said. Colleges will also be able to use the funds to create digital resources, specialized advising and in-person events for students. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/new-jersey-initiative-stopped-out-students/732738/

Sam Altman is Predicting AGI in 2025- Matt Wolfe, YouTube

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has hinted that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could be a reality in 2025.  In a recent interview, when asked what he was most excited about for 2025, Altman simply replied "AGI," suggesting that he believes AGI will be achieved by then.  However, the video host points out that there's no universally accepted definition of AGI, which could lead to disagreements on when it's actually achieved, even if OpenAI declares it has reached that milestone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnAPxbr3VZ0

AI-generated poetry is indistinguishable from human-written poetry and is rated more favorably - Brian Porter & Edouard Machery, Nature Scientific Reports

As AI-generated text continues to evolve, distinguishing it from human-authored content has become increasingly difficult. This study examined whether non-expert readers could reliably differentiate between AI-generated poems and those written by well-known human poets. We conducted two experiments with non-expert poetry readers and found that participants performed below chance levels in identifying AI-generated poems (46.6% accuracy, χ2(1, N = 16,340) = 75.13, p < 0.0001). Notably, participants were more likely to judge AI-generated poems as human-authored than actual human-authored poems (χ2(2, N = 16,340) = 247.04, p < 0.0001). We found that AI-generated poems were rated more favorably in qualities such as rhythm and beauty, and that this contributed to their mistaken identification as human-authored. 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-76900-1

How to prepare students for a global working world - Richard Sant, Times Higher Education

As universities, we need to teach our students how to operate in a global online workplace – and facilitate their opportunities to do so. Today’s creative graduates are international – and so are their potential employers. Here’s how universities can support graduates to compete within a global job market, making the most of digital resources and skills.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-prepare-students-global-working-world

Winds of Change in Higher Ed to Become a Hurricane in 2025 - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

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. The confluence of all of these disruptions in 2025 predict a challenging year ahead for higher education. Has your institution prepared for the fallout from these developments? Who is coordinating the response to these disparate trends? Are you following the trends and considering the implications for your career as well as for your department, college and university?

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2024/11/20/winds-change-higher-ed-become-hurricane-2025

Is Algorithmic Management Too Controlling? - Lindsey Cameron, Knowledge at Wharton

In more and more workplaces, important decisions aren’t made by managers but by algorithms which have increasing levels of access to and control over workers. While algorithmic management can boost efficiency and flexibility (as well as enabling a new class of quasi-self-employed workers on platforms like Uber and Instacart), critics warn of heightened surveillance and reduced autonomy for workers. In a newly published paper, Wharton Prof. Lindsey Cameron examines how ride-hail drivers interact with the algorithmic management tools that make app-based work possible. In this interview, she shares insights from her research, along with tips for creating a more equitable future of work.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/is-algorithmic-management-too-controlling/

Warren Buffett Pointed Out 1 Clear Sign to Spot Someone With Good Leadership Skills - Marcel Schwantes, Inc.

You’ve got to be able to communicate in life, and it’s enormously important. Schools, to some extent, under-emphasize that. If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential. Effective communication isn’t just about talking; great conversationalists listen intuitively to the other person’s story, ask questions, and search conversations for depth, meaning, and understanding. This takes the skill of being present and in the moment. This means that you don’t need to talk over others to get your point across, which works to your advantage. When you truly listen, you hear peoples’ objections, anxieties, and fears, as well as the solution to problems.

https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/warren-buffett-pointed-out-1-clear-sign-to-spot-someone-with-good-leadership-skills/91001811

Why Podcasts Succeeded in Gaining Influence Where MOOCs Failed - Joy Buchanan, Economist Writing Every Day

MOOCs fell short of revolutionizing education. MOOCs struggled to retain learners because of the commitment they demanded and the structure they imposed. One thing people thought the MOOC could deliver at low cost was accountability. It turns out that traditional universities were and are still good for that. Podcasts succeeded by offering flexibility, accessibility, and a lower barrier to entry. Podcasts excel at passive learning, where listeners absorb information through storytelling, interviews, and discussions. This style appeals to a wider audience, blending education with entertainment. If someone in 2014 were told that MOOCs would not become influential on intellectual life, then a possible excuse might be that the public does not want talking or long-form content. We now know in 2024 that long-form talking content can be hugely popular, in the format of a conversational podcast.

https://economistwritingeveryday.com/2024/11/09/why-podcasts-succeeded-in-gaining-influence-where-moocs-failed/

The second Trump term: Higher education braces for impact - Nathan M Greenfield, University World News

‘Professors are the enemy’ – Incoming Vice-President JD Vance, quoting Richard Nixon. From likely reductions in student aid and an end to student debt forgiveness, to a possible dismantling of the United States Department of Education, cuts to research, a reintroduction of the travel ban on Muslim countries and deportation of undocumented immigrants, the re-election of former US president Donald J Trump on 5 November represents a major challenge to American higher education. “I think I’ll just be honest about it: I’m very anxious,” Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), told the ACE dotEDU Live post-election podcast on 6 November, a few hours before Vice-President Kamala Harris conceded to Trump who will become the 47th president on 20 January 2025.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20241108140517969

5 Bold Predictions for AI in 2025 and how we think AI will continue to transform industries - Cypher Learning

The pace of innovation is rapidly accelerating, and AI is poised to redefine how we work, learn, and connect with technology in surprising ways. From empowering new roles and fostering inclusivity, AI is on the brink of reshaping entire industries. Last year, we shared our predictions for AI in 2024 and saw them come to fruition. As the year comes to a close, we wanted to turn the page and once again share our predictions for how AI will continue to evolve in 2025.  Among the predictions is #5. Personalized workplace development displaces old-school training.

https://www.cypherlearning.com/blog/news/bold-predictions-for-ai-in-2025

Satya Nadella on the Future of AI - Douglas, AI Newsroom

In Nadella’s view, AI is transforming how we learn and work, with implications for every industry. He envisions a world where AI tutors are accessible to everyone, enabling a deeper, more personalized learning experience. “The big novelty is that every student can now have access to a personalized AI tutor throughout their life.” This unprecedented access to knowledge, combined with the flexibility of tools like GitHub Copilot, opens doors for students, professionals, and lifelong learners. On the future of work, Nadella emphasizes that AI’s purpose isn’t to eliminate jobs but to improve the quality of work. By automating tedious tasks, AI allows professionals to focus on higher-value activities.

https://the-ai-newsroom.com/p/satya-nadella-on-the-future-of-ai

University of Akron braces for workforce cuts - Ben Unglesbee, Higher Ed Dive

University of Akron leadership signaled that workforce reductions are on the horizon for the Ohio public institution as it grapples with rising operating costs. “In the coming years, we will incrementally reduce the number of positions so we can better invest in our people and chart strategic growth moving forward,” President R.J. Nemer said in an Oct. 24 email to faculty and staff published Friday by Signal Akron, a local news outlet. “This will be a challenging but necessary change.” Nemer added that the university must “engage in cost reductions at all levels to stabilize and ultimately refine UA for the future.” The process began with a recent $800,000 reduction to the president’s office budget, he said.

https://www.highereddive.com/news/university-of-akron-braces-workforce-cuts/732074/

Concerned about retention? Prioritize AI upskilling - Malika Asthana, HR Executive

As rapid technological change reshapes the workplace, employees are eager to build new skills to stay relevant and advance their careers. Learning and development leaders are well-positioned to meet this challenge and offer strategic learning opportunities that drive growth and retention. Recent data collected by D2L and Morning Consult underscores this need. While 75% of L&D leaders feel a strong sense of urgency to prepare their organizations for the effects of AI on their work, nearly 40% of employees believe their employers are not prioritizing AI professional development opportunities.

https://hrexecutive.com/concerned-about-retention-prioritize-ai-upskilling/

Exploring the future of higher education through student perspectives - MSN.com

The landscape of higher education has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, with online learning emerging as a pivotal component. This shift from traditional classroom settings to virtual platforms has been propelled by the need for flexibility, accessibility, and the demand for diverse learning resources. Additionally, the aspect of high demand for higher education coupled with limited resources and universities for regular education further underscores the importance of online learning as a means to accommodate this growing need. As institutions adapt to this new paradigm, it becomes imperative to understand and address the following expectations of higher education students from online learning.

https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/careers/exploring-the-future-of-higher-education-through-student-perspectives/ar-BB1j1STv

EDUCAUSE ’24: The Evolving Role of the CIO - Abby Sourwine, GovTech

A panel of experts at the annual EDUCAUSE conference discussed why data and analytics, and ultimately chief information officers, are growing more important to the future of higher education. As colleges and universities grapple with declining public trust, rapid leadership turnover and the need to demonstrate return on investment, the role of the chief information officer has become increasingly pivotal. At the annual EDUCAUSE conference last week, three seasoned IT leaders shared their perspectives on navigating the shifting landscape.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/educause-24-the-evolving-role-of-the-cio

AI Tops List of Most Important Technologies of 2025 - Heidi Vella, AI Business

The study by IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization, surveyed 355 technology leaders, including CIOs, CTOs, and IT directors, in Brazil, China, India, the U.K. and U.S. When asked to select the top three areas of technology that will be most important in 2025 from more than a dozen areas, respondents overwhelmingly ranked AI first (58%) marking the second consecutive year they have done so.  Cloud computing (26%) and robotics (24%) ranked second and third, respectively. 

https://aibusiness.com/generative-ai/ai-tops-list-of-most-important-technologies-of-2025

Educause ’24: University of Michigan's Journey With Generative AI - Abby Sourwine, GovTech

One major AI integration came in the form of U-M GPT, a chatbot that provides free access to the latest versions of large language models like GPT 4.0 and DALL-E 3. It has all the capabilities of these chatbots with a few customizations to best serve UM users. Pendse said the team also created a more focused AI tool, U-M Maizey, with which users can upload their own data sets to serve a customized GPT experience. In an academic setting, Maizey can be integrated with Canvas, the learning management system from the education software company Instructure, and used for things like generating practice exam questions and offering personalized tutoring. Pendse said the Canvas integration was designed to be simple — instructors can integrate in six minutes even without any coding experience.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/educause-24-university-of-michigans-journey-with-generative-ai

California Students Want Careers in AI. Here’s How Colleges Are Meeting That Demand - Associated Press

Many California college students are choosing to learn about artificial intelligence theory and its emerging applications while preparing to enter an ever-changing workforce. With hopes of bolstering these efforts, Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced the first statewide partnership with a tech firm to bring AI curriculum, resources and opportunities to California’s public higher education institutions. The partnership with Nvidia, a leading AI software development company, will bring AI tools to community colleges first. In the future, the hope is to add partnerships for the California State University and University of California systems as well, according to the governor’s press release.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/california/articles/2024-10-29/california-students-want-careers-in-ai-heres-how-colleges-are-meeting-that-demand#google_vignette

What Can AI Chatbots Teach Us About How Humans Learn? - Jeffrey R. Young, EdSurge

Do new AI tools like ChatGPT actually understand language the same way that humans do? It turns out that even the inventors of these new large language models are debating that very question — and the answer will have huge implications for education and for all aspects of society if this technology can get to a point where it achieves what is known as Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI.A new book by one of those AI pioneers digs into the origins of ChatGPT and the intersection of research on how the brain works and building new large language models for AI. It’s called “ChatGPT and the Future of AI,” and the author is Terrence Sejnowski, a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, where he co-directs the Institute for Neural Computation and the NSF Temporal Dynamics of Learning Center. He is also the Francis Crick Chair at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.  

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2024-10-29-what-can-ai-chatbots-teach-us-about-how-humans-learn

ETSU recognized in three categories of 2024 Abound College Awards - Jennifer L. Hill, ETSU

Abound is a college guidance system for degree-seeking adults, and helps students age 24 and up find the best place to earn an undergraduate or graduate degree. In the Finish College Awards, ETSU won in the categories Best Colleges for Adults, Best Online Colleges and Best Colleges for Military and Veterans. “As an institution that puts people first, ETSU provides adult students with the flexibility they need to earn their degree,” said Timothy Lewis, director of New Student and Family Programs at ETSU. “Not only do we provide special services to our adult students, our faculty and staff work to get to know each student as an individual: helping each student succeed and reach their specific goals.”

https://www.etsu.edu/etsu-news/2024/10-october/abound-college-awards.php

How AI Is Reshaping Higher Education - AACSB

Because artificial intelligence will likely become the primary way humans access information, professors must prepare students to use the technology effectively in their lives and careers. Students will especially need to learn skills related to effective prompt engineering, which refers to the ability to craft questions that elicit the most useful answers from AI platforms. The more comfortable that faculty become with using AI, the better they will be at teaching students how to use this skill ethically and effectively in the years to come.

https://www.aacsb.edu/insights/articles/2023/10/how-ai-is-reshaping-higher-education

EDUCAUSE 2024: The Risks and Rewards of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education - EdTech

The world took notice when OpenAI released the high-powered large language model ChatGPT in November 2022. Nearly two years later, at EDUCAUSE 2024 in San Antonio, artificial intelligence was still a hot topic of conversation among higher education’s leading technologists. They mostly agree that AI is a tool that could be beneficial to colleges and universities in a number of ways, but acknowledge that just because an AI solution exists, that doesn’t mean it’s the right solution. Working backward from a problem to identify if AI is the best path forward is a good way to avoid making AI mistakes, and ensuring good data governance before implementing AI is vital to producing accurate outcomes.

https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/media/video/educause-2024-risks-and-rewards-artificial-intelligence-higher-education

Leveraging AI to Improve Learner Outcomes and Learner Records - UPCEA

The implementation of AI-driven tools in higher education is still in its early phases. It's clear that institutional staff either are still learning how to incorporate the tools into the learning process or are encountering obstacles in optimizing their use. This study revealed that interest in the potential of these technologies is far outpacing adoption. Most respondents are heavily involved in developing learner experiences and tracking outcomes, though nearly half report their institutions have yet to adopt AI-driven tools for these purposes. The research also found that only three percent of institutions have implemented Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs), which provide a complete overview of an individual’s lifelong learning experiences. Download your copy of UPCEA and Instructure's latest research study today.

https://upcea.edu/ai-to-improve-learner-outcomes/

Memorandum on Advancing the United States’ Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives; and Fostering the Safety, Security, and Trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence - the White House

This memorandum fulfills the directive set forth in subsection 4.8 of Executive Order 14110 of October 30, 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence).  This memorandum provides further direction on appropriately harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) models and AI-enabled technologies in the United States Government, especially in the context of national security systems (NSS), while protecting human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, and safety in AI-enabled national security activities.  A classified annex to this memorandum addresses additional sensitive national security issues, including countering adversary use of AI that poses risks to United States national security.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/10/24/memorandum-on-advancing-the-united-states-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence-harnessing-artificial-intelligence-to-fulfill-national-security-objectives-and-fostering-the-safety-security/

SynthID: Identifying AI-generated content with SynthID - Google Deep Mind

Being able to identify AI-generated content is critical to promoting trust in information. While not a silver bullet for addressing problems such as misinformation or misattribution, SynthID is a suite of promising technical solutions to this pressing AI safety issue. This toolkit is currently launched in beta and continues to evolve. It’s now being integrated into a growing range of products, helping empower people and organizations to responsibly work with AI-generated content. SynthID uses a variety of deep learning models and algorithms for watermarking and identifying AI-generated content.

https://deepmind.google/technologies/synthid/