Teaching at Rikers Island isn’t a typical origin story for a future school district leader. And yet, it demonstrates that education works best as human development, not a test-prep machine. Former Chicago Public Schools CEO J.C. Brizard joins aiEDU Studios to talk about modern-day school systems and what to keep, what to scrap, and how to move faster than technology that's reshaping our jobs and lives. We got candid about why AI has finally brought school to the dinner table. When...

Teens don’t treat AI like magic. They treat it like a wrench — something that's useful, but only as good as the person using it. On this episode, we sat down with students who’ve put AI tools to work in surprising ways. Between all their experiences, we saw a grounded view of AI as a study aid, a creative partner, and sometimes a risky shortcut that demands stronger digital literacy. Jeremy’s experience highlighted accessibility and caution in the same breath. He told us how AI h...

Are you worried your teen is spending more time with a chatbot than with real friends? On this episode, we spoke with child/adolescent psychiatrists Dr. Jeremy Chapman and Dr. Ashvin Sood to learn how AI shows up in teens’ social lives and schoolwork, and how parents can respond with clarity instead of panic. Together we map out a simple framework: curiosity first, judgment last, and functionality as the North Star for family decisions. We explored why adolescence depends on hone...

AI can sound human, but it isn’t — and that difference changes how we teach, parent, and prepare kids for a future shaped by AI. On this episode, we dive into AI readiness: the blend of skills, ethics, and technical insight that young people need to question, adapt, and lead in an AI-powered world. We sit down with Philip Colligan of the Raspberry Pi Foundation to unpack layered AI literacy, including what students should know about data, large language models, bias, and the social im...

Are you worried your kids might let AI do their thinking for them? On this episode, Alex and Dr. Aliza dig into the questions parents ask most and share a practical roadmap for raising curious, confident, and discerning kids who can use AI without losing their edge. Whether it's developing everyday habits to build critical thinking or setting clear boundaries for schoolwork, we show how to help your kids become AI ready — fluent with AI tools, appropriately skeptical, and proud of their...

Are you worried about preparing your kids for jobs that don’t exist yet? In this episode, we dig into the changes that AI is bringing to work and school. First up, materials scientist Ashley Kaiser reveals how AI is powering “self-driving labs” to offload repetitive tasks, which gives her more time for creative planning and scientific analysis. Next, Google’s Ben Gomes explains why the next era of education must emphasize concepts over mechanics. He also discusses why curiosity, p...

Let's be honest: Trying to make assignments “AI-proof” is like trying to write a “calculator-proof” math problem. With that in mind, we explore how to design AI-ready assessments that reward genuine understanding and insight when answers are cheap and instant. Alex and Dr. Aliza unpack a college course that embraces AI rather than hides from it. Tulane University associate professor Nick Mattei walks us through a term project where his students prompt multiple AI models, compare outpu...

Pressing an AI button won’t write a novel that anyone wants to read. On this episode, we look at using AI for writing – not as a shortcut, but as a thinking partner that helps you move from fuzzy concepts to sharp ideas without losing your voice. Alongside author Amit Gupta and Google’s VP of Learning, Maureen Heymans, we map the line between helpful brainstorming and harmful outsourcing. Ultimately, we landed on a simple rule of thumb that parents and students can use today: Does...

What if technology made classrooms feel more human, not less? On this episode of Raising Kids in the Age of AI, we dive into real stories from the front lines of education to show how AI can help teachers fulfill diverse learning needs, increase engagement, and bring back joy to school so it doesn't turn into a screen-filled dystopia. Alex and Dr. Aliza sit down with New York City special ed and tech teacher Shira Moskovitz, who transformed a disengaged science class by turning a traditio...

Let’s strip away the hype and make AI understandable, useful, and human. Google Research VP Maya Kulycky explains why the human brain remains unmatched (And why that’s good news!) and offers practical guidance for using AI as a collaborator, not a crutch. Google DeepMind COO Lila Ibrahim takes us inside different projects that expand what’s possible with AI in anthropology (Project Aeneas) and molecular biology (AlphaFold). Responsibility runs through every story here as both Maya an...

aiEDU Studios has launched a separate podcast entitled Raising Kids in the Age of AI, created in collaboration with Google! Co-hosts Alex Kotran and Dr. Aliza Pressman will explore how AI is shaping the future of parenting and learning in conversations with parents, students, and leaders in education and technology. Meet Isabell, a 13-year-old entrepreneur who is using AI to enhance (Not replace!) her creativity as she builds her handmade product business: "I like to have control over eve...

What does it mean for students to be 'AI ready?' In this "in-house" episode, aiEDU CEO Alex Kotran sits down with Chief Program Officer Emma Doggett Neergaard and Director of Learning Khushali Narechania to explore the organization's new AI Readiness Framework. The aiEDU Learning Team unpacks how their framework provides a roadmap for K-12 educators to prepare students for an AI-powered future. The team dives deep into what makes their framework unique – specifically, its focus on durable...

What happens when you combine Hollywood-level storytelling with the intimacy of audio? Oz Woloshyn and Mangesh Hattikudur, co-founders of Kaleidoscope, have created some of the most compelling podcasts in the medium by focusing on one simple truth: people love feeling smart, especially when learning feels like an adventure. Kaleidoscope's award-winning shows transport listeners from the Amazon rainforest in search of rare cacao to a Soviet space station where a cosmonaut finds himself stra...

Michelle Shomo Pierce invites us into her Charlotte, North Carolina classroom where computer science education transcends coding to become a vehicle for teaching essential life skills. What makes Michelle's approach unique is her unlikely journey to becoming a computer science teacher. With a background in biology and elementary education, she stepped into the role without any formal CS training — a fact that helps her connect with students who might otherwise feel intimidated by techn...

Have you ever talked to an architect of the digital revolution that shaped our world? We spoke with early-stage Apple alum Dan'l Lewin, who took us on a remarkable journey from the dawn of personal computing to our AI-powered present while offering rare insights as someone who helped bring the first computers into America's classrooms. Growing up in upstate New York with a second-grade teacher who taught him binary math, Dan'l's path led him to Silicon Valley in 1976 where he ended up wor...

What if we stopped trying to 'fix' students and instead fixed our educational system? As CEO of CAST, (the Center for Applied Special Technology) Lindsay Jones helps schools utilize Universal Design for Learning to create inclusive education systems for all students. Starting with the premise that "people aren't broken," Lindsay guides us through CAST's journey from its 1984 founding (when Harvard neuroscientists were first bringing personal computers into education) to today's AI re...

What good is 'innovation in edtech' if millions of students can't access it? Dr. Keisha King takes us on her journey from classroom teacher to education technology leader at T-Mobile, showing how authentic educator perspectives can transform tech initiatives in schools. With a background in virtual schooling and curriculum development, Dr. King brings a uniquely grounded approach to her work in connecting millions of students to the Internet. At the heart of Dr. King's philosophy is a pow...

When civics teacher Zach Kennelly first encountered ChatGPT and DALL-E, he immediately recognized their transformative potential for education. As one of the first AI Trailblazers in aiEDU's fellowship program, Zach has reimagined what's possible in the classroom by positioning AI not as a replacement for human thinking, but as a collaborative tool that empowers students to tackle challenges they care about. Throughout our conversation, Zach shared how his diverse background in political sc...

What if the very traits that society labels as a "disability" are actually your greatest strengths? In this week's episode of aiEDU Studios, John Marble (author of Neurodiversity for Dummies and Autism for Dummies) takes us on a remarkable journey from his early days making White House beer runs to becoming a respected neurodiversity advocate and thought leader. John's story begins unexpectedly when, as a community college student, he volunteered during Al Gore's debate prep, which l...

"When you can write out your own ideas, explain your thinking, build an argument and use evidence to support it – that's an incredibly valuable skill for kids." In this week's episode, we spoke with Peter Gault of Quill.org about the evolving relationship between AI and education. Peter shares how Quill transitioned from basic natural language processing (NLP) to sophisticated language models, making a strategic decision to rebuild their platform on generative AI despite having invested yea...