EdTechnical
Hosted by EdTechnical co-founders Libby Hills (CEO) and Owen Henkel (Research Director), the EdTechnical podcast explores AI in education through a research-grounded lens.
Each episode, Libby and Owen ask experts to help educators sift the useful insights from the AI hype. They ask questions like: how does this actually help students and teachers? What do we actually know about this technology, and what is just speculation? And (importantly!) when we say AI, what are we actually talking about?
Beyond the podcast, EdTechnical also invests in promising AI edtech companies and conducts applied research to inform real-world product and investment decisions.
EdTechnical
AI Pre-Mortem: Getting Ahead of AI's Risks in Education
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In this episode of EdTechnical, Libby and Owen speak with Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she directs the Center for Universal Education. Rebecca and her team recently ran a ‘pre-mortem’ on generative AI in education: rather than waiting years for the evidence to settle, they conducted a yearlong study on the risks it poses to students, and what we can do now to prevent them while making the most of the benefits.
Drawing on focus groups, a thorough review of studies, and a forecasting panel, the report paints a striking picture: as things stand, the risks of generative AI for children's learning and development outweigh the benefits. Rebecca explains the risks are foundational, undermining the trust, independent thinking, and resilience that children need in order to benefit from AI. A key distinction runs through the conversation: risks tend to come from wide AI use, where children have open-ended, unscaffolded conversations with tools not designed for them, while benefits come from narrow, intentional use integrated into teaching with vetted content.
Bio
Rebecca Winthrop is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of its Center for Universal Education, where she leads the Brookings Global Task Force on AI in Education. She advises governments, policymakers and international institutions on education and previously led education work for displaced and conflict-affected communities. She is a co-author of the report A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect.
Links
Research Report by the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education:
A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect
Brookings Institution Center for Universal Education: https://www.brookings.edu/topics/education-2/
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Credits: Sarah Myles for production support; Josie Hills for graphic design; Anabel Altenburg for content production.