Generative AI, the American worker, and the future of work - Molly Kinder, Xavier de Souza Briggs, Mark Muro, and Sifan Liu, Brookings

Existing generative AI technology already has the potential to significantly disrupt a wide range of jobs. We find that more than 30% of all workers could see at least 50% of their occupation’s tasks disrupted by generative AI. Unlike previous automation technologies that primarily affected routine, blue collar work, generative AI is likely to disrupt a different array of “cognitive” and “nonroutine” tasks, especially in middle- to higher-paid professions. 

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/generative-ai-the-american-worker-and-the-future-of-work/

Report: A Quarter of Those with Graduate Degrees Say They Regret Going to College - Johanna Alonso, Inside Higher Ed

The report, which focused on college’s value, was based on the results of a survey of 1,000 Americans with a college degree and 1,000 who do not have a degree. Over all, about three-quarters of respondents with a graduate degree say they do not regret attending college, and 59 percent of those with an associate or bachelor’s degree say the same thing. Cost is a different matter, however; across all types of degrees, 59 percent of respondents say their student loan investment was worth the cost. Arts and humanities majors, perhaps surprisingly, were most likely to say their degree was worth the cost, with 68 percent saying so.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2024/10/11/report-quarter-grads-say-they-regret-going-college

Can an AI Chatbot Be Your Friend? - Stefano Puntoni, Knowledge at Wharton

A new study co-authored by Wharton marketing professor Stefano Puntoni finds that when people interact with chatbots programmed to respond with empathy, their feelings of loneliness are significantly abated — at least for a short time. Puntoni said the buzz about what generative artificial intelligence can do for business and productivity has been so big since the release of ChatGPT two years ago that he wanted to explore whether software could also benefit well-being. If chatbots can be programmed to have in-depth conversations on everything from customer service to medical diagnoses, there’s no reason why they can’t keep people company.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/can-an-ai-chatbot-be-your-friend/

Commentary: AI detectors don't work, so what's the end game for higher education? - Casper Roe and Mike Perkins, Channel News Asia

AI detectors struggle to keep up with quickly changing AI models, and their reliance on standardised measures of what is considered “human” can unfairly disadvantage people who speak English as a second or third language. The potential of falsely accusing students and damaging their future raises serious concerns about the use of AI detectors in academic settings. Furthermore, this approach is counterintuitive in a world where we should be reaping the benefits of AI. You can’t extoll the advantages of using a calculator and then punish students for not doing math in their heads. Educators shouldn’t rush to punish students based on what AI detectors say. Instead, they should think of better ways to assess students.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/ai-detector-university-school-teacher-student-assess-writing-test-4665366

The fallout: University of the Arts haunted by unanswered questions months after sudden closure - Ben Unglesbee, Inside Higher Ed

This year has seen the winding down of several historic private colleges, including Wells College in New York and Goddard College in Vermont. Announcements of their closures sparked shock, grief and dismay. Arguably, the most dramatic closure came at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The public releases announcing the closure were conspicuously short on details. A statement from Walk and UArts board Chair Judson Aaron on May 31 alluded, vaguely, to “a cash position that has steadily weakened” that meant the university could “not cover significant, unanticipated expenses.” They added: “The situation came to light very suddenly. Despite swift action, we were unable to bridge the necessary gaps.” 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/fallout-university-of-the-arts-sudden-closure-union/729106/

'Godfather of AI' shares Nobel Physics Prize - Georgina Rannard & Graham Fraser, BBC

The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to two scientists, Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield, for their work on machine learning. British-Canadian Professor Hinton is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of AI" and said he was flabbergasted. He resigned from Google in 2023, and has warned about the dangers of machines that could outsmart humans. The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62r02z75jyo?_bhlid=340120429259dd315f15ad3f82844df1fa2f027b

Developing a GenAI policy for research and innovation - Helen Brownlee and Tracy Mouton, Times Higher Ed / Inside Higher Ed

Establishing a framework to guide AI use in research is vital for ensuring institutions are and remain fully compliant. Research integrity policies, procedures and guidelines should provide a framework to support the highest standards of staff and student personal conduct in research. To achieve this, we created a new policy for the use of GenAI tools in research and innovation at the University of East Anglia (UEA) earlier this year. The policy supports and protects researchers who use GenAI and aims to ensure the university is fully compliant in this developing area. The policy represents a truly collaborative effort involving many colleagues and below we share our experiences of developing the policy focusing on eight key areas.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/developing-genai-policy-research-and-innovation

Why we need a balanced, two-tier approach to AI governance - Tianchong Wang and Libing Wang, University World News

Artificial intelligence’s transformative effect on higher education has moved from a distant vision to a rapidly unfolding reality. Its potential to revolutionise teaching, learning, research and administration has sparked widespread optimism and anticipation about what it will mean for the future of the sector. Yet, this rapid integration of AI also presents significant challenges. Higher education institutions are facing complex ethical dilemmas, including concerns about algorithmic bias, data privacy and the potential impact on equity. To address these concerns, comprehensive governance frameworks are essential.

https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20241003144700992

ChatGPT has become the ‘best teammate’ to these Sydney university students – but is there a limit? - Caitliin Cassidy, the Guardian

When ChatGPT first launched, the University of Sydney was on the back foot, the instiution admits. Now it says it places digital technology at the forefront of its curriculums. It’s been a similar shift across the university sector, which has broadly pivoted to acknowledge generative AI in academic integrity policies and incorporate the new technology into learning and teaching. At the University of Melbourne, for instance, artificial intelligence is even being used to help mark assessments. This year, the University of Sydney was named AI university of the year at the inaugural Future Campus awards, a body established last year to bring news and analysis on the higher education sector.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/05/chatgpt-has-become-the-best-teammate-to-these-sydney-university-students-but-is-there-a-limit

On technology in schools, think evolution, not revolution - Peter Dizikes, MIT News

Time after time, entrepreneurs claim tech will upend what they depict as stagnation in schools. Both parts of those claims usually miss the mark: Tech tools produce not revolution but evolution, in schools that are frequently changing anyway. Reich’s work emphasizes this alternate framework. “In the history of education technology, the two most common findings are, first, when teachers get new technology, they use it to do what they were already doing,” Reich says. “It takes quite a bit of time, practice, coaching, messing up, trying again, and iteration, to have new technologies lead to new and better practices.” The second finding, meanwhile, is that ed-tech tools are most readily adopted by the well-off.

https://news.mit.edu/2024/technology-schools-evolution-not-revolution-justin-reich-1006

Supporting student-centric Higher Education with industry microcredentials - Coursera, FE News

This dramatic increase in enrolments in our genAI courses is a testament to learners realising that their skills base needs to change if they are to survive and thrive in the face of technological change. Generative AI’s power to affect all roles – irrespective of the educational level required to partake in them – means that we must collectively work to strengthen the link between education, skills, and employability. This shift in approach is doubly necessary as employers increasingly look to adopt a skills-based approach to hiring, rather than a credentials-based one. A 2023 Coursera study found that 77% of employers now back skills-based hiring practices. Students, too, are responding: the same study saw 60% of students say that using their skills is their top priority in a job. It is clear that both students and employers alike view skills as the bridge between education and successful employability.

https://www.fenews.co.uk/exclusive/supporting-student-centric-higher-education-with-industry-microcredentials/

September College Cuts Include Jobs, Programs and Athletics - Josh Moody, Inside Higher Ed

Facing multimillion-dollar budget deficits, some colleges announced they would ax jobs and academic programs. Others noted cuts are on the horizon. Declining enrollment was a common culprit driving job and program cuts at various universities. Jobs, academic programs and athletic teams were all on the chopping block at many universities last month as they struggled to plug budget holes amid declining enrollment.  thers cast the reductions as necessary to avoid fiscal issues in the future. Here’s the latest on cuts announced last month.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/business/cost-cutting/2024/10/07/college-cuts-september-include-jobs-programs-athletics

Altera uses GPT-4o to build a new area of human collaboration - OpenAI

The early success of Altera’s vision has generated widespread interest, particularly for their first product—a digital human that can play and interact in virtual environments like Minecraft. It’s also laying the foundation for future, and more complex, multi-agent simulations. Altera plans to scale its efforts to create entire societies of digital humans capable of nuanced, long-term interactions, with applications ranging from gaming to productivity and many others. Their collaboration with OpenAI has positioned Altera to lead the charge in creating a world where digital and human lives intersect in thought-provoking ways.

https://openai.com/index/altera/

Even the ‘godmother of AI’ has no idea what AGI is - Maxwell Zeff, TechCrunch

In a wide ranging discussion on Thursday at Credo AI’s responsible AI leadership summit, Fei-Fei Li, a world-renowned researcher often called the “godmother of AI,” said she doesn’t know what AGI is either. At other points, Li discussed her role in the birth of modern AI, how society should protect itself against advanced AI models, and why she thinks her new unicorn startup World Labs is going to change everything. But when asked what she thought about an “AI singularity,” Li was just as lost as the rest of us. “I come from academic AI and have been educated in the more rigorous and evidence-based methods, so I don’t really know what all these words mean,” said Li to a packed room in San Francisco, beside a big window overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/03/even-the-godmother-of-ai-has-no-idea-what-agi-is/

Should Online Courses Have Less Students, Why? - Samantha Clifford, Faculty Focus

It’s important to consider the unique dynamics of each learning environment when discussing whether class caps for online and in-person courses should be the same. Many institutions are looking at increasing the number of online students through a combination of course availability, carousel offering, sequencing, and timing rather than increasing caps in online courses. It is quite possible to increase the number of seats in a well-designed online class, but for online instructors to build and facilitate student centered courses based on active learning and inclusive pedagogy, there are some important considerations. 

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/should-online-courses-have-less-students-why/

It’s Official: How to Be a Servant Leader Comes Down to 6 Behaviors, Says Research - Marcel Schwantes, Inc.

Building a strong culture, however, requires visionary leadership. One framework I’ve been using to develop leaders in my coaching and training practice is based on the seminal research of organizational leadership scholar Dr. Jim Laub. Laub identified six key leadership behaviors essential to fostering a thriving culture. These behaviors are rooted in the principles of Servant Leadership, a people-centric approach where leaders prioritize serving others, creating environments of trust, engagement, and productivity. Servant Leadership has been embraced by Fortune 100 companies such as Southwest Airlines and startup founders alike. They realize the importance of putting people ahead of profits for long-term success. To move your company toward a vibrant servant leadership culture, here are the six behaviors found in the research and best practices.

https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/its-official-how-to-be-a-servant-leader-comes-down-to-6-behaviors-says-research/90984161

Women in the Workplace 2024: The 10th-anniversary report - Alexis Krivkovich, Emily Field, Lareina Yee, and Megan McConnell, with Hannah Smith, the McKinsey Report

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Women in the Workplace report. Conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org, this effort is the largest study of women in corporate America. Over the past decade, more than 1,000 companies have participated in the study, and we have surveyed more than 480,000 people about their workplace experiences. Our tenth-anniversary report analyzes data from the past decade to better understand progress, decline, and stagnation in women’s representation and experiences in the workplace.1 It also highlights key findings from 2024 and identifies the changes companies can make to chart real progress on the path to parity—which we project is nearly 50 years away.

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

Challenges and Best Practices in Training Teachers to Utilize Artificial Intelligence; Systematic Review - Yousef AlJemely , Frontiers

The utilization of artificial intelligence is becoming a hot debate among researchers, academicians, and practitioners. Educational institutions are also training teachers to utilize AI in teaching. However, there is a dearth of investigation on the training of teachers to utilize AI. Therefore, this systematic review aims to highlight the challenges and best practices in training teachers to utilize AI. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were set to shortlist the relevant studies for review. The review synthesized 10 studies focusing on the importance of AI, AI usage by teachers, challenges faced by teachers and trainers, and best practices that could be adopted by trainers.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2024.1470853/abstract

71% of Australian uni staff are using AI. What are they using it for? What about those who aren’t? - Stephen Hay, et al; the Conversation

Some studies have focused on students’ use of AI. There has also been research on what it means for teaching and assessment. But there has been no large-scale research on how university staff in Australia are using AI in their work. Our new study surveyed more than 3,000 academic and professional staff at Australian universities about how they are using generative AI. Overall, 71% of respondents said they had used generative AI for their university work. Academic staff were more likely to use AI (75%) than professional staff (69%) or sessional staff (62%). Senior staff were the most likely to use AI (81%).

https://theconversation.com/71-of-australian-uni-staff-are-using-ai-what-are-they-using-it-for-what-about-those-who-arent-240337

Employers Say Students Need AI Skills. What If Students Don’t Want Them? - Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

Colleges and universities are considering new ways to incorporate generative AI into teaching and learning, but not every student is on board with the tech yet.“The big picture is that it’s not going to slow down and it’s not going to go away, so we need to work quickly to ensure that the future workforce is prepared,” says Shawn VanDerziel, president and CEO of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). “That’s what employers want. They want a prepared workforce, and they want to know that higher education is equipped to fill those needs of industry.”

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/life-after-college/2024/10/03/are-ai-skills-key-part-career-preparation

AI in organizations: Some tactics - Ethan Mollick, UPenn

This is a bit of a denser post focusing on the issues I am seeing with AI at the organizational level and how to solve them. If you want to experience the post a different way, I used the truly impressive NotebookLM by Google to turn it into a podcast. Literally the only thing I did was feed it the text below, everything else was generated by the AI (it is surprisingly accurate, though it appears to actually build on some of these ideas). If you haven’t played with this yet, I strongly urge you to listen to the clip. (note from Ray - try out the podcast -- written and voiced by AI)

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/ai-in-organizations-some-tactics