The AI News You Missed This Week | Instructure Hack, Claude Agents & More (May 12, 2026)

AI Update: Are We Prepared for the Next Leap in Intelligence?

Are we getting closer to AGI—and is higher education ready for what comes next?In this AI x Higher Ed update, we unpack the latest signals from AI leaders including Demis Hassabis, Sundar Pichai, Sam Altman, and others on AGI timelines, agentic AI, scientific breakthroughs, and the idea of intelligence becoming a utility like electricity.The conversation then turns to a major new intervention from Pope Leo XIV: a sweeping encyclical on artificial intelligence, human dignity, education, leadership, communication, and the urgent need for society to prepare. We explore why this document matters far beyond religious communities and why its message may be especially important for schools, colleges, universities, parents, and policymakers.From AI agents and blockbuster IPOs to curriculum disruption and the future role of teachers, this episode asks what it would mean to stop treating AI as a classroom tool and start treating it as a civilization-shaping force.Chapters00:00 – Are We Getting Closer to AGI?02:10 – Demis Hassabis, Google I/O, and AGI Timelines04:45 – Sundar Pichai’s More Cautious View06:28 – Gemini Solves Erdős Problems: Breakthrough or AGI?09:32 – Why Advanced Math Performance Is Not AGI12:22 – Demis Hassabis on 2030, 2029, and the Next Wave of Agents16:05 – Agentic AI as a Practice Run for What Comes Next20:10 – SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the Coming IPO Wave23:48 – How IPOs Could Shape AI Strategy and Adoption27:40 – Google, DeepMind, and Accelerating Science31:15 – Sam Altman and Intelligence as a Utility35:20 – Why AI Could Transform Society Like Electricity39:10 – Pope Leo XIV’s Encyclical on AI44:30 – Why This Document Matters Beyond Religion49:15 – Christopher Olah, Anthropic, and Moral Oversight54:00 – AI, Human Dignity, and the Question of Consciousness1:00:20 – Education as a Central Concern1:06:10 – Why Current School AI Guidance Falls Short1:12:00 – Curriculum, Assessment, and the Role of Teachers1:18:25 – Building Awareness and Preparing Institutions1:23:15 – Human Capacities Beyond Intelligence1:28:45 – Communication, Dialogue, and Shared Meaning1:33:20 – Universities and the Integration of Knowledge1:38:40 – Parents, Schools, and the Limits of Individual Responsibility1:44:30 – Why Society Needs Alliances Around AI1:50:10 – Rejecting Fatalism: Our Choices Still Matter1:56:00 – Final Reflections: Start Preparing Now#aixhigheredpodcast #AI #AGI #HigherEd #AIEducation #ArtificialIntelligence #AIxHigherEd #FutureOfWork #AIAgents #EdTech #GoogleDeepMind #OpenAI #Anthropic #Podcast

Will AI Take Your Job? Rich Brown on the Future of Work

Marine veteran, entrepreneur, and nonprofit leader Rich Brown joins the AI x Higher Ed Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on Agentic AI, leadership, education, and what it means to prepare students for a rapidly changing future.Rich shares how he has been using AI agents across business, nonprofit work, curriculum design, executive protection, and even personal communication. Rather than treating AI as a shortcut, Rich describes it as a force multiplier: a tool that can help people move faster, think more deeply, refine their ideas, and solve meaningful problems.The conversation explores why education must move beyond simply banning or permitting AI and instead focus on process, judgment, iteration, and student agency. Rich also discusses the Service Leadership Academy, a program designed to help high school students develop self-awareness, team leadership, conflict navigation, and community problem-solving skills. The result is a conversation about AI that is ultimately about people: how we lead, how we learn, and how we prepare for a world where the ability to solve problems may matter more than any single career path.

Why This Scholar Is Warning Colleges About AI Implementation - Dr. Theresa Burriss, May 18, 2026

In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Theresa Burriss joins the AI x Higher Ed Podcast to explore what authenticity means in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing from philosophy, Appalachian studies, environmental justice, and decades of teaching experience, Dr. Burriss reflects on how AI challenges our assumptions about voice, creativity, learning, and human connection.The discussion moves from existentialism and storytelling to AI literacy, environmental impacts of data centers, representation of marginalized communities in generative models, and the enduring importance of the liberal arts. Throughout the episode, Dr. Burus argues for embracing tension rather than eliminating it — recognizing AI as both a powerful tool and a profound disruptor that requires ethics, critical thinking, and deeply human conversations.

The AI News You Missed This Week | Instructure Hack, Claude Agents & More (May 12, 2026)

n this week’s AI x Higher Ed update, we unpack the accelerating pace of artificial intelligence development and what it means for higher education, industry, and society at large. From AI systems collaborating with one another and coding autonomously for hours at a time, to major infrastructure battles over compute power, the conversation explores how rapidly the AI landscape is evolving.The episode covers new breakthroughs from Thinking Machines, Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and Neuralink, along with emerging applications in law, cybersecurity, robotics, scientific research, and mathematics. The hosts also examine the growing societal tensions around AI, including student backlash, workforce disruption, ethical concerns, and debates over universal basic income.As AI capabilities continue to scale, the discussion highlights a central challenge for higher education: preparing students and institutions for a future where AI is not just a tool, but an active collaborator shaping nearly every field.#aixhigheredpodcast #ArtificialIntelligence #HigherEducation #AIinEducation #GenerativeAI #Anthropic #OpenAI #Robotics #FutureOfWork #AIResearch #EdTech #AILeadership #HigherEd

From Kinesiology to AI Pioneer: Tim Mousel is Rewiring Higher Ed Through Real-World Problem Solving

In this episode, we sit down with Tim Mousel (Lone Star College), kinesiology professor turned AI innovator, to explore how curiosity, necessity, and relentless perseverance led him to become one of the most influential voices in AI and higher education.From building early software tools before ChatGPT existed to advising national AI initiatives, Tim shares a powerful perspective on why AI isn’t just a tool—but a fundamental shift in how we teach, learn, and prepare students for the future.We dive into:- The importance of purpose-driven learning- Why most assignments are broken (and how to fix them)- How faculty can overcome resistance to AI- The growing gap between education and workforce expectations- Why AI will expose mediocrity—and what to do about itIf you care about the future of education, this is a must-listen.⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Intro & Meeting Tim at Lone Star College02:10 – From Kinesiology to Coding: An Unlikely Journey06:30 – Building AI Tools Before ChatGPT10:45 – The Power of Purpose-Driven Learning15:20 – Martial Arts, Resilience, and the “Never Quit” Mindset20:10 – Why Students (and Faculty) Lack Motivation24:30 – Faculty Resistance to AI: What’s Changing29:00 – Why We Overestimated AI Adoption Speed33:15 – The Future of Higher Ed (and Who Gets Left Behind)38:40 – AI-Responsive Assignment Design (A-RAD Framework)45:10 – A Better Assignment: From Paper to Chatbot Creation52:30 – The AI Literacy Gap (97% vs. 20%)58:00 – Why One AI Course Isn’t Enough1:02:20 – Building System-Wide AI Transformation (Task Force Strategy)1:10:15 – Agentic AI & Multi-Model Workflows Explained1:18:40 – Building a Business in 6 Hours with AI1:24:30 – The White House AI Meeting: Missing Educators1:30:10 – The Dangerous Gap Between College and Workforce Expectations1:36:00 – “AI Will Expose Mediocrity”1:41:20 – Final Thoughts & Where to Find Tim#AIinHigherEd #EdTech #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #HigherEducation #AIEducation #DigitalTransformation #FacultyInnovation #AILeadership