In this episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai challenges the unspoken norms in education that hinder innovation, highlighting how “paper walls” the unquestioned assumptions shape school systems. Featuring insights from LEGO Education, the Brookings Institution, and McKinsey, this episode explores what happens when students are trusted with agency, and what’s at stake when they’re not.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why We Don't Question the Bell Schedule

Exploring how normalized structures in education prevent innovation and where leadership often defaults to inherited assumptions.

04:20 – What Are Paper Wall Pushers?

Introducing Steve Bartlett’s concept and its relevance to leadership, decision-making, and school culture.

08:15 – LEGO’s Kid-Led AI Study

A deep dive into how LEGO empowered students to research AI on their own terms—and what we learn when we actually listen.

14:30 – Brookings' Pre-Mortem on AI in Education

Discussing Brookings Institution’s approach to preemptively evaluating the risks of AI overuse and under-guidance in schools.

22:00 – From Traffic Lights to Thinking: What McKinsey Looks for Now

Contrasting traditional compliance models in schools with what companies like McKinsey now value: judgment, ambiguity navigation, and collaborative AI use.

Resources Mentioned

• 🔗 LEGO Education – Kid-Led AI Study
• 📄 Brookings Institution – AI and Student Agency Report
• 🧠 McKinsey Report – The Role of AI in Hiring and Decision-Making
• 🌀 AI Guidance Frameworks and School Leadership Examples (Designing Schools)

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🤝 Partner with Us: J⁠oin the AI Power Circle⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.

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🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠Link to new student experience⁠

For questions, email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

In this powerful kickoff to the year, we unpack the deeper message behind Jensen Huang’s keynote at CES and how it reframes our evolving relationship with AI. From robotics presented as friends to McKinsey’s insights on agents, robots, and human responsibility, this episode explores why judgment not creativity or empathy, may be the most critical skill of the AI era. With real-world examples from schools and everyday life, we challenge listeners to rethink what it truly means to be prepared for the future.

Resources Mentioned

🔗 Watch Jensen Huang’s CES 2026 Keynote (the part I mention starts at 45:00)

📄 McKinsey Report – Agents, Robots, and Us

📘 OpenAI Report – AI as a Healthcare Ally

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🤝 Partner with Us: Join the AI Power Circle and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.

📘 Get the Book: Designing Schools — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.

🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: Link to new student experience

For questions, email: [email protected]

As we look back on 2025, we unpack the defining signals that transformed AI from a distant concept into a central teammate in every workflow. From bold statements by industry leaders to the emergence of new learning paradigms, this episode explores why the fundamentals of trust, culture, and clarity matter more than ever, and how the real leadership challenge in 2026 isn’t about predicting the future, but choosing to shape it.

Timestamps

• [00:02] IT Is the New HR: The Signals That Started It All
• How early statements from Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff reframed leadership expectations for the age of AI.
• [06:58] Microsoft’s Map: The Three Phases of Human-AI Teaming
• Breaking down Microsoft’s Work Trend Index and the transition from AI assistants to AI teammates.
• [12:45] Why Culture Still Wins: The Human Conditions That Matter Most
• Psychological safety, trust, and shared values aren’t just nice-to-haves—they're the operating system for AI-era teams.
• [20:17] The Leadership Gap, Not a Skill Gap
• Why the biggest challenge in 2025 wasn’t tools or knowledge—it was the courage to decide.
• [28:03] Gemini and the Future of Learning
• How Google’s approach to AI and learning design reveals what the next evolution of education could look like.

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: Join the AI Power Circle and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: Designing Schools — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

As we look back on 2025, we unpack the defining signals that transformed AI from a distant concept into a central teammate in every workflow. From bold statements by industry leaders to the emergence of new learning paradigms, this episode explores why the fundamentals of trust, culture, and clarity matter more than ever, and how the real leadership challenge in 2026 isn’t about predicting the future, but choosing to shape it.

🤝 Partner with Us: Join the AI Power Circle and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.

📘 Get the Book: Designing Schools — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.

In this episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai explores the deeper cultural implications of AI’s evolution from tools to teammates. Using OpenAI’s recent personalization shift and the OnlyFans origin story as parallels, she reflects on societal responsibility, educational challenges, and why banning AI is not a solution. Through candid insight and current research, Sabba calls for reflection, redesign, and a commitment to future-focused leadership.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] The Shift from Clicks to Conversations

• How AI browsers like Atlas signal a fundamental change in how we interact with technology.

[00:04:00] The OpenAI Controversy and Culture Clash

• Sabba analyzes the backlash around ChatGPT’s personality features and what it says about freedom and responsibility.

[00:06:00] Lessons from OnlyFans: When Users Redefine Platforms

• A surprising yet powerful comparison showing how user behavior—not company intent—shapes digital culture.

[00:14:00] Reports from the Field: The AI Literacy Gap in Schools

• Insights from Oxford University Press and the Center for Democracy and Technology highlighting students’ and teachers’ lack of AI confidence.

[00:24:00] What Bold Leaders Do Differently with AI

• Sabba shares leadership lessons from top-performing teams and introduces the Spark Prompting Framework for deeper AI integration.

Resources Mentioned

• Sam Altman Tweet on ChatGPT Updates
• Oxford University Press - Teaching the AI Native Generation
• Hand in Hand: Schools Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risk for Students

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• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

In this episode of Designing Schools, Dr. Sabba Quidwai breaks down OpenAI’s transformative Dev Day announcements and what they mean for the future of education, creativity, and digital life. Exploring the shift from clickable interfaces to conversational AI, she challenges educators and leaders to rethink skills, judgment, and imagination in the age of agents and apps.

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:53] From Apps to Agents

• OpenAI's 2025 Dev Day unveils a new digital world where apps like Canva and Spotify live inside conversations, not screens.

[03:00] Redefining Human Skills

• Sam Altman and Jony Ive discuss focus, speed, and why human creativity and design thinking are more vital than ever.

[07:26] Agents That Use Computers Like Humans

• Google’s Gemini 2.5 model introduces AI agents that can navigate and interact with digital environments autonomously.

[10:25] Sora and the Rise of Generative Imagination

• OpenAI’s video creation app Sora takes off—sparking excitement, ethical debates, and concerns over deepfakes.

[14:35] Deloitte's AI Report Scandal

• An AI-generated government report filled with fake citations reveals why discernment, not just tech skills, is critical today.

Resources Mentioned

• OpenAI Dev Day Announcements
• Update: Gemini 2.5 Computer Use Model
• Walmart Partnership With ChatGPT 
• New App from OpenAI - Sora2
• Deloitte Pays Money Back After Making AI Errors in Report
• Student Course Waitlist

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

In this solo episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai explores how leadership is evolving in the age of AI, not through technical mastery, but by cultivating clarity, trust, and shared intelligence. She introduces four transformative leadership personas, explains how AI is shifting from tool to teammate, and unpacks emerging research that paints a bold picture of what the world could look like in 2030.

⏱️ Timestamps

[00:00] The Leadership Shift in the AI Era

• Why your leadership identity—not your AI knowledge—is your greatest strategy during exponential change.

[04:00] What Makes a Super Leader?

• A breakdown of Kelly Jones' four leadership personas: The Technologist, The Empath, The Philosopher, and The Change Agent.

[13:00] AI Teammates and Workflow Redesign

• Insights from Anthropic and OpenAI on training AI to work with humans, not replace them.

[28:00] Safety, Skepticism, and the Human Cost of AI

• Reflections on Senate hearings, Pew data, and how leaders can prepare their communities with empathy and literacy.

Resources Mentioned

• Join the AI Power Circle
• The AI Era Demands a New Kind of Leader  | Cisco
• How Anthropic and OpenAI Are Developing AI Coworkers | The Information
• Center for Human Technology - Senate Hearing
• How Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and Society | Pew Research Center
• GDP Val - Looking at AI Capabilities

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

In this episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan Bauschard explore groundbreaking findings from a study released by OpenAI and Anthropic on how people are really using AI tools like ChatGPT. From tutoring and personalized learning to writing assistance and decision-making, they break down what 700 million weekly users reveal about how AI is transforming everyday life. With special focus on education, agency, and future-ready skills, this conversation is a wake-up call for schools, institutions, and leaders to move from committees to action.

Timestamps

00:01:00 – Inside the Data: 700 Million Weekly Users and What They're Doing with AI

• A look at the NBER study's key insights, showing a dramatic rise in personal, non-work AI use.

00:04:30 – Top 3 Use Cases: Tutoring, Information Seeking, and Writing Support

• A breakdown of the three most common AI usage themes and their significance in education.

00:13:00 – The Gender Gap Closes and the Myth of Coding-Centric AI

• Exploration of shifting demographics and the broader applications of AI beyond STEM.

00:20:00 – Why Agency is the New Literacy in the Age of AI

• Connecting data trends with the need for self-directed learning and decision-making skills.

00:32:00 – Brandeis University’s Bold Move to Reinvent Higher Ed for an AI Future

• A case study in institutional agility and what it means to act—not wait—in a rapidly evolving world.

Resources Mentioned

• How Are People Using ChatGPT
• Anthropic Economic Index
• Brandeis University: Reinventing the Liberal Arts

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

This episode explores the evolving impact of AI on the job market, especially its disproportionate effects on younger workers and recent graduates. Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan analyze the recent paper "Canaries in the Coal Mine", revealing how automation and augmentation are reshaping employment trends and urging educational leaders to rethink how students are being prepared for an AI-driven future.

Timestamps

[00:02:00] Rethinking the AI and Jobs Debate

• Sabba challenges the binary narrative of “AI taking jobs” and advocates for a more nuanced view focused on redesigning existing roles and preparing for emerging ones.

[00:05:00] Key Takeaways from ‘Canaries in the Coal Mine’

• Discussion of six major findings from the Stanford/Hi-Pact paper, highlighting declines in employment for young workers in AI-exposed jobs like coding and entry-level marketing.

[00:10:00] Disconnect Between Education and Workforce Needs

• Reflection on how high schools and colleges must pivot from traditional learning models to design thinking and durable skills to help students remain relevant.

[00:26:00] How to Be ‘AI Capable’ at Work

• Breakdown of Zapier’s model distinguishing AI-capable, adaptive, and transformative roles—with implications for what employers now expect from applicants.

[00:32:00] Notebook LM and Smarter Learning Workflows

• Introduction to Google's Notebook LM as a transformative educational tool, enabling students to better engage with readings and improve learning outcomes using AI.

Resources Mentioned

• 📄 Paper: Canaries in the Coal Mine: Six Facts About Recent Employment Effects of AI by Erik Brynjolfsson and colleagues
• 🗓️ Stanford Seminar (Sept 29): In-depth discussion of the Canaries in the Coal Mine findings

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

This week, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan explore the rapidly blurring boundaries between humans and machines, from emotional bonds with AI companions to the systemic divide between individual and institutional AI use. With thought-provoking stories, emerging research, and bold perspectives, they uncover how our emotional, educational, and professional systems are unprepared for the new AI-infused reality and what we can do about it.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] When AI Becomes a Friend: Mustafa Suleyman's Warning

• Sabba opens with reflections on AI's emotional mimicry and the psychological fallout when users felt they "lost a friend" with GPT model changes.

[00:03:00] Companions or Crutches? Emotional Overload and Mental Health

• Stefan shares data on AI addiction, time spent on Character.AI, hospitalizations, and the societal implications of simulated friendships.

[00:17:00] The GenAI Divide: Individual vs. Organizational Adoption

• MIT's study reveals how individuals thrive using AI, while institutions lag behind—highlighting why experimentation alone isn't enough.

[00:26:00] Microsoft’s 3 Phases of AI: Why Most Orgs Are Stuck in Phase 1

• Sabba introduces a powerful framework on AI integration—from assistants to teammates to agents—and why moving beyond Phase 1 is critical.

[00:32:00] The Real Divide: Education vs. Workforce and How Youth Must Adapt

• As college degrees lose value and entry-level jobs shrink, the hosts argue for design thinking and entrepreneurial mindsets in schools.

Resources Mentioned

• Mustafa Suleyman's blog: Seemingly Conscious AI
• SpiralBench: Benchmark testing AI models for delusional reinforcement
• New York Times article: "What My Daughter Told ChatGPT Before She Took Her Life"
• MIT study: The GenAI Divide led by Professor Nitin Nanda
• Microsoft Work Trend Index: Three Phases of AI Integration

Explore More from Designing Schools

• 🤝 Partner with Us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the AI Power Circle⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and collaborate with forward-thinking educators building the future with AI.
• 📘 Get the Book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Designing Schools⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — a practical blueprint to transform your campus with creativity, leadership, and innovation.
• 🎓 Prepare Your Students for an AI Future: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free Course – AI Skills for College and Career⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to equip your school community with future-ready skills.

For questions, email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠