Greg Toppo: The promise and perils of AI in schools

aiEDU Studios

What makes AI different from previous waves of education technology?

Greg Toppo, education reporter at The 74, joins us to unpack how AI is reshaping education from the classroom to district leadership. Drawing from his extensive journalism career and time as a teacher, Greg brings a measured perspective to the AI revolution that's sweeping through schools right now.
The conversation dives into the landmark Massachusetts court case, where a student challenged academic cheating accusations after using ChatGPT on a history assignment. Rather than viewing this as simply a policy failure, Greg frames it as a complex example of how even well-prepared schools must navigate uncharted ethical terrain: "When you're trying to design a bank that is impervious to being robbed, it really helps to consult with a bank robber."
For educators navigating this landscape, Greg recommends balanced information consumption – seeking perspectives from both enthusiastic advocates and thoughtful skeptics. The future of schooling depends not on blindly adopting technology, but rather on carefully considering how it could enhance the fundamentally human endeavor of education while preserving meaningful learning experiences.
You can follow Greg Toppo and The 74 at:

• the74million.org/about/team/greg-toppo/
• x.com/gtoppo

aiEDU: The AI Education Project

• aiEDU.org
• linkedin.com/company/aiedu/

Chapters

1. Meet Greg Toppo, education reporter at The 74 (00:00:00)

2. The ChatGPT moment in education (00:03:42)

3. Massachusetts AI cheating court case (00:12:48)

4. AI and academic integrity (00:17:40)

5. AI and the future of school (00:28:05)

6. Formulating policy about AI in the classroom (00:34:55)

7. Teacher-facing vs. student-facing AI (00:51:16)

8. AI assessment and 'invisible learning' (01:01:45)

9. AI literacy vs. AI readiness (01:10:20)

10. Tracking AI in education journalism (01:30:50)