AI in the Classroom and Beyond

In this Season 2 premiere of AI in Action, Dr. Sidney Shapiro is joined by Dr. Jason Satel to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping education, research, and professional expertise.

The conversation explores the realities behind AGI hype, the rapid adoption of AI tools in universities, and why traditional assessment and certification models are under growing pressure. Dr. Satel discusses practical approaches to teaching students how to use AI effectively, rather than attempting to prohibit it, and explains why iteration, context, and critical judgment are now core skills.

Key topics include:

• AI’s impact on higher education and assessment design

• Teaching AI literacy to students and faculty

• The limits of current models in creativity, humor, and context

• AI as a research assistant: literature review, coding, and data analysis

• Hardware constraints, industry–academia gaps, and access to compute

• Bias, synthetic data, and model alignment

• What AI means for future careers, expertise, and certification

This episode offers a grounded, candid discussion on adapting educational and research practices in a world where AI is becoming a standard tool rather than a novelty.

Find out more at https://ai-in-action.pinecast.co