This blog focuses on the program for February 6, 2025, which included a keynote address by Michael Jordan; a plenary session featuring Eric Xing, Emmanuel Candès, Asuman Özdağlar, and Joëlle Barral that explored the theme “AI at an Inflection Point;” a symposium covering topics from the mathematics of machine learning to the road to trustworthy AI; and a final plenary featuring Bernhard Schölkopf and Yann LeCun, followed by a fireside chat with Michael Jordan, Yann LeCun, Bernhard Schölkopf, and Stéphane Mallat.

In our hyper-connected world, smartphones have become more than just tools; they are extensions of ourselves, our constant companions. But what happens when this attachment crosses a line? When does the thought of being without our devices trigger genuine distress? This is the reality of nomophobia, or “no mobile phone phobia,” a modern-day phenomenon that is increasingly impacting young adults, particularly college students. The term is used to describe the fear and anxiety resulting from being detached from smartphone connectivity.

An analysis of the 2024 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report reveals three emerging themes poised to redefine higher education's future. These themes—Societal Trends: A Shifting Landscape, Technological Trends: A Double-Edged Sword, and Artificial Intelligence: The Looming Force —highlight the complex interplay of challenges and opportunities ahead. Through my analysis, I have also pinpointed three major EdTech frontiers to address in the next five years (2025-2030), grounded in the report’s six key technologies and practices essential for navigating the evolving teaching and learning landscape in higher education.

With generative AI becoming increasingly part of our daily lives, a new area of knowledge is emerging: the ability to create an AI prompt, typically referred to as prompt engineering. When interacting with generative AI, “prompt” usually refers to a specific piece of text or instruction given to the AI model to generate a response or output. In a simplistic form, this is the question or inquiry we input into the AI model, which prompts the model to generate a response or output. The prompt offers the model both a starting point and guiding criteria for generating the output.

In this episode, I highlight the importance of maintaining a critical mindset when using generative AI tools. They should be seen as opportunities to enhance human creativity rather than replace it. I use historical parallels, such as the introduction of calculators and the societal fears they initially generated, to illustrate how technology can be successfully integrated into education.