• a fresh survey reveals that higher ed is still caught in an AI whirlwind
  
• Excel gets giggly
• Your pick of fake profile pics
• Where Tesla's going, they won't need steering wheels
• Dario Amodei's AI utopia Opus
  
• More appeals to focus on process, not policing
  

Prompt of the Week

This is a fun one from Ethan Mollick (@emollick)

Claude, create an Excel formula that would delight me. Seriously make me giggle with joy.

Works with ChatGPT too. Claude seemed to give results that are a bit more unique. You could even ask it to make a new one that is "funnier" or "wilder".

I tried a few times on Claude and got:

1. A slot machine - entering the number 3 into cell A1 would give me 3 random slot machine symbols
2. A random message generator (e.g., "🦄 Unicorn Mode Activated!" or "💃 Dance Break Needed!")
3. A random office pet generator

Not necessarily very useful, but it showed me that Claude is way better at Excel than I am...I wouldn't even know where to start. See the end of this newsletter for the Excel code for the slot machine

AI App of the Week

I don't know why you would want a bunch of profile pics of random (but non-existent) people, but if you were populating a fake course, or generating a lot of fake review for your restaurant side hustle, PicLooks will provide all the realistic looking profile pics that you want. Well not exactly ALL, but you can download about 200 profile pics for free here: https://www.piclooks.com/avatars. All pics were AI generated

News of the Week

Machines of Loving Grace

Read the essay

• Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei envisions AI revolutionizing human life within 5-10 years in his 13,000 word essay "Machines of Loving Grace."
• Amodei argues AI will supercharge scientific progress, enabling rapid advances in health, economics, and governance
• The essay acknowledges AI risks and the need for careful implementation to realize these benefits, however the generally rosy outlook may be aimed to attract investment and public support.
• The bottom line: Amodei's essay represents a bold, if potentially overly optimistic, vision for AI's transformative potential in the near future

Gallup poll on AI use at work

Read the poll

• How many US employees are using AI? Two-thirds of employees have never used it
• How are US employees using AI? Depends on role (leader, manager, individual contributor)
• How can organizations improve AI adoption? communication, guidance, and training

Tesla's "We, Robot" Self-Driving Robotaxi

CBC Article

• Tesla's robotaxi, the Cybercab, has no steering wheel or pedals and features intriguing two gull-wing door design. It's supposed to be priced under $30k US, but production won't start until 2026
• A robovan, similar in look to the buses in the Will Smith movie, I, Robot was revealed at the same time
• Elon Musk also claimed great progress on the development of the humanoid robot Optimus and even had robot demos serving drinks and greeting attendees. It was later revealed that the robots were under human control

AI Powered Pedagogy

• The importance of having a good AI policy:
  • Parents sue school after son punished for using AI on paper
• And why that policy shouldn't focus on AI detection:
  • AI Detectors Falsely Accuse Students of Cheating - With Big Consequences
• Upcoming Webinars (You may find these seminars interesting, but I don't have any insight into how good or informative they will be for you)
  • Georgetown University Faculty and Students Dialogue on AI. (Nov. 11 12pm) (Register for Zoom Session)
  • AI vs Academic Integrity https://www.aixeducation.com/event-details/ai-vs-academic-integrity-from-bans-to-best-practices Oct 25 9-10 from aixeducation.com
  • Harvard Business Publishing: Harnessing Gen AI in the Undergrad Classroom (Oct. 29, 9am). Register Here

The mAIn Event

AI in Higher Ed: Educators Navigating Uncharted Waters (shouldn't we have charts already?)

Summary of the report "How Are Educators Navigating the AI Revolution?" from The Conference Board of Canada,

The big picture: Generative AI is reshaping higher education, but most educators are sailing without a compass. A new survey reveals widespread uncertainty and a pressing need for institutional guidance.

Why it matters: As AI tools like ChatGPT become ubiquitous, educators' readiness to adapt could make or break the quality of post-secondary education.

By the numbers:

• 80% of educators haven't received AI guidance from their institutions
• 57% haven't explicitly allowed students to use generative AI
• Only 18% allow AI use for both coursework and learning
• 26% report negative experiences with AI, mainly plagiarism and false information

Diving deeper:

1. Uncertainty reigns
   • Most educators haven't banned AI outright, but they're also hesitant to embrace it
2. Training gap
   • 77% of educators agree they need formal AI training
   • Only 31% feel they have the knowledge and skills to use AI effectively
3. Frequency breeds familiarity. Educators who use AI more often:
   • Are more likely to see its benefits for teaching and learning
   • Emphasize the need for training (92% vs. 76% of infrequent users)
   • Report improved teaching practices and materials
4. Age and discipline matter
   • Educators under 55 use AI more frequently
   • Usage is more supported in engineering (71%), less so in humanities (32%)
   • University educators use AI more than those at colleges/polytechnics
5. Top worries:
   • Cheating and plagiarism (57% see it as a major challenge)
   • Impact on critical thinking skills
   • Potential to hinder independent learning
   • Educational inequalities
6. Task-specific acceptance. Educators are more open to AI use for:
   • Translation (41% say use "most of the time" or "all the time")
   • Grammar help (38%)
   • General research (34%)
   They're more resistant to AI for:
   • Essay writing (57% say "never" or "rarely")
   • Problem-solving (44%)
   • Literature review (40%)

The bottom line: Post-secondary institutions need to develop comprehensive AI strategies, including:

• Development of AI literacy programs for both educators and students
• Clear guidelines on appropriate AI use
• Support for integrating AI into curricula thoughtfully

Go deeper: The full report, "How Are Educators Navigating the AI Revolution?" by The Conference Board of Canada, offers in-depth analysis and recommendations.

Notes

Note 1: AI was used to help with research (Perplexity), editing and phrasing ideas (Claude and Simtheory). I used a comprehensive prompt I call my "Concise Communicator" to help me write the mAIn event.

Note 2: I hope you're loving this newsletter, but you can always unsubscribe on MyPD. Just follow the link to this newsletter there and hit Unsubscribe from forum.

Excel Slot Machine Code

=LET( emojis, {"🍒";"🍋";"🍉";"🍇";"💎";"7️⃣"}, spin, LAMBDA(x, INDEX(emojis, RANDBETWEEN(1, ROWS(emojis)))), result, IF(A1=COLUMNS(A1:C1), REPT("│", 3)&TEXTJOIN("│", TRUE, MAP(A1:C1, spin))&REPT("│", 3), "Pull the lever! (Enter '3' in A1)"), jackpot, IF(AND(A1=3, EXACT(MID(result, 5, 2), MID(result, 8, 2)), EXACT(MID(result, 5, 2), MID(result, 11, 2))), " 🎉 JACKPOT! 🎉", ""), machine, "╔═══[SLOT MACHINE]═══╗"&CHAR(10)& "║ "&MID(result, 2, 13)&" ║"&CHAR(10)& "╚═════════════════════╝"&jackpot, machine )