In this episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan explore the evolving relationships people, especially students are forming with AI tools like ChatGPT-5 and other AI tools. From the surprising emotional reactions to AI model updates to the rise of AI-powered toys for children, they dissect what these developments mean for education, ethics, and the future of learning. This conversation challenges educators to reconsider how we define thinking, agency, and integrity in an AI-integrated world.

Timestamps

• [00:01:00] What AI Can Already Do – Sabba outlines the capabilities of the newest AI tools, setting the stage for a deeper conversation on mindset and systems change.
• [00:05:00] Emotional Attachments to ChatGPT – Stefan discusses the backlash to ChatGPT-5 and the unexpected grief users expressed over losing GPT-4.
• [00:13:00] Personalization, Vulnerability, and Ethics – The hosts explore how AI companies are leaning into emotional design and what this means for young people’s agency and decision-making.
• [00:20:00] AI-Powered Toys and the Future of Childhood – Sabba introduces the topic of AI toys like Curio and their implications for learning, imagination, and privacy.
• [00:31:00] Redefining Thinking in an AI World – A reflection on what it means to “think” today, featuring Des Hassabis’s definition and how educators can redesign learning for agency and depth.

Resources Mentioned

• ⁠ChatGPT-5 - updates + relationship⁠
• ⁠Chatbots + Toys⁠

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• 📘 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 unpacks the viral claim, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use it will,” exploring its deeper implications. Sabba and Stefan discuss how cultivating high-agency learners and leaders — who can adapt, make decisions, and build trust — is far more critical than simply learning AI tools. With practical strategies and thought-provoking insights, the conversation challenges educators, parents, and leaders to foster resilience and human connection in a world increasingly shaped by AI.

Timestamps

00:00 – The Viral Lie: “AI won’t take your job…”

• Sabba challenges the popular soundbite and introduces the real question: Who can lead and adapt when no one else comes to save them?

03:00 – Greg Eisenberg’s Perspective on AI and Jobs

• Exploring Greg Eisenberg’s viral post and its implications for the workforce, entrepreneurship, and education.

09:00 – Building High-Agency Learners vs. Teaching AI Tools

• Why persistence, curiosity, and decision-making matter more than ever — and why perfection and compliance no longer serve students or employees.

27:00 – The Rise of AI Companions and the Loneliness Crisis

• Discussing the concerning trend of kids (and adults) turning to AI for companionship, and what it says about human relationships.

36:00 – Practical Strategies: Frameworks and Tools to Cultivate Agency

• Concrete ways schools and organizations can foster high-agency environments, including examples from Desert Sands USD and Gemini AI.

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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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• Greg Eisenberg’s LinkedIn post - How Does AI Play Out
• AI Companions and Kids

In this episode of Designing Schools, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan Bauschard explore the transformative shift from individual AI use to organizational deployment. They discuss Google's LearnLM principles, Gemini's enterprise tools, and how AI agents are changing the skills and mindset needed for leadership and collaboration. Through reflections, real-world examples, and critical insights, they outline how to move beyond using AI as an assistant and start managing it as a teammate.⏱️

Timestamps

• [00:01:00] Resetting for Impact: Sabba reflects on the first half of the year and clarifies her focus on organizational AI deployment.
• [00:06:00] Students, Parents, and AI: Stefan shares insights from his AI & entrepreneurship class and reactions to AI tools.
• [00:07:00] Google's LearnLM & Gemini: Unpacking the five principles of LearnLM and their implications for education.
• [00:19:00] OECD AI Capability Review: What AI can and can’t do yet — and how it measures up on skills like creativity, metacognition, and problem-solving.
• [00:40:00] From AI Assistant to Teammate: Why managing AI agents is a leadership challenge and how to move from individual use to enterprise deployment.

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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• Google Updates from ISTE
• Goldman Sachs CIO - We Must Prepare AI Native sand Being a People First Organization
• OECD AI Capability Index
• Gemini + Canva Course - Join our mini course and learn how to build your AI Dream Team

This episode explores how the evolving job market prioritizes AI fluency, adaptability, and mindset over traditional qualifications. Sabba and Stefan dissect recent research and reports, highlighting how education must adapt to prepare learners for a future where AI is a collaborator, not a cheat code. They also spotlight real-world education leaders and systems successfully navigating this transformation.

Timestamps

[00:01:00] The Résumé is Out, AI Fluency is In

• Sabba unpacks a Fortune article on how companies now prioritize AI skills and mindset over experience or degrees.

[00:04:00] Refusing AI Isn’t an Option

• Stefan raises concerns about higher ed’s disconnect, especially around ethical objections to using AI in learning environments.

[00:10:00] Sandbox Interviews and Soft Skills Reimagined

• Discussion of new hiring practices including live AI collaborations and how soft skills like curiosity are redefined.

[00:23:00] Stanford’s Human-AI Collaboration Study

• Deep dive into new research from Stanford that maps out AI integration across roles, emphasizing shared human-AI agency.

[00:36:00] Barbie Gets AI: The Future Starts in the Toybox

• Insights on the Mattel–OpenAI partnership and how early AI exposure through toys will shape children’s perceptions and skills.

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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• Fortune Magazine article on AI hiring trends
• Stanford’s “Future of Work with AI Agents” study
• Diary of a CEO interview with Geoffrey Hinton
• Mattel and OpenAI partnership announcement
• AI Power Circle program: Join the AI Power Circle

This episode explores how emerging signals from viral LinkedIn posts to global entrepreneurship trends are revealing cracks in traditional education. Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan discuss the urgent need to move from robotic, standardized systems toward cultivating creativity, curiosity, and entrepreneurial thinking, especially as AI reshapes what it means to learn, lead, and connect. They share stories that inspire a mindset shift, from kids in Nepal launching businesses to how companies like Zapier are reimagining onboarding with AI.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Redefining Human vs. Robotic

• Kevin Scott’s insight: AI isn’t replacing people—it’s replacing people who act like machines.

[00:02:00] A Parent’s Frustration Goes Viral

• Matt Pier’s viral LinkedIn post sparks a discussion about how current education is misaligned with future needs.

[00:05:00] Building Future Entrepreneurs

• Stefan shares how AI-powered entrepreneurship camps can help kids generate revenue and creativity in weeks.

[00:12:00] Are AI Friends Real Friends?

• Exploring how AI companions are affecting school life, emotional wellbeing, and our concept of relationships.

[00:17:00] Kids Are Learning—Just Not in School

• OpenAI’s finals week data shows students using ChatGPT for deep learning—not cheating.

[00:25:00] From Tool to Teammate: Zapier’s Onboarding Shift

• How Zapier redesigned its onboarding to emphasize curiosity and AI-integrated workflows.

[00:33:00] OpenAI and the NYT Lawsuit: What Educators Should Know

• Key updates about data privacy, ChatGPT logs, and what’s excluded from court orders.

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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 powerful and provocative episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan explore the urgent implications of AI on education, employment, and democracy. They dissect recent comments by Anthropic's CEO, reflect on generational shifts in perceptions of higher education, and challenge educators to embrace change, not resist it. This is a call to action for reimagining learning, relevance, and agency in an AI-driven world.

Timestamps

[00:01:00] The AI Wake-Up Call

• Discussion of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s prediction that AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years and its implications for students and educators.

[00:06:00] Rethinking Entry-Level Work

• Stefan unpacks how companies are prioritizing AI fluency over traditional hiring, and why entry-level positions may be disappearing.

[00:14:00] College Regret and the ROI Crisis

• Sabba cites a Fortune article on how over half of Gen Z feel college was a waste of money and explores how this sentiment is reshaping higher education.

[00:26:00] Why Faculty Must Try, Not Defend

• A candid critique of higher ed’s resistance to AI innovation and a call for professors to collaborate with students in navigating an evolving academic and professional landscape.

[00:32:00] Sinek, Struggle, and Staying Human

• Insights from Simon Sinek on the importance of struggle in maintaining humanity and creativity amid AI’s rise.

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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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• CNN Interview with Dario Amodei
• Simon Sinek on Diary of a CEO Podcast
• Turning AI Tools into Teammates Mini-Course: Course Link

In this week’s special episode, Sabba and Stefan dive into the newly released AI literacy framework from the European Commission and OECD. Highlighting its student-centered vision, they explore how this document finally sets a compelling standard for empowering learners with durable skills, agency, and real-world decision-making tools for an AI-driven future.

Timestamps

[00:00:00] Introducing the OECD AI Literacy Framework

• Sabba shares why this episode is different and introduces the newly released, game-changing AI literacy framework.

[00:03:00] Why Students Learn More from Screens than Schools

• Eye-opening statistics from the framework spark a conversation about reclaiming the educator's role in AI learning.

[00:08:00] Personas and Real-World Scenarios for AI Use

• The team explores how scenarios like Sophia’s story-writing journey with AI help model responsible use for students.

[00:18:00] RISE vs. Traffic Lights: Rethinking AI Decision Models

• Sabba and Stefan unveil the RISE framework as a more human-centered alternative to the often-used traffic light system.

[00:27:00] A Look at Desert Sands’ Leading AI Guidance

• Celebrating Desert Sands Unified School District's visionary leadership, the hosts showcase a real-world model of actionable and future-ready AI integration.

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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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• OECD AI Literacy Framework — “Empowering Learners for the Age of AI”
• AI Skills for College and Career (Free Course): Access here
• Desert Sands AI Guidance 

In this episode, Dr. Sabba Quidwai and Stefan discuss the surprising fears at the top of organizations, CEOs worried about their lack of AI strategy and technical confidence. Drawing from the latest research from Day Taku, Microsoft, and the OECD, they unpack how leadership, education, and AI integration intersect, revealing why successful change depends more on mindset and management than on tools alone. From workplace strategies to the classroom crisis, they explore what’s needed to empower both leaders and learners in this AI-driven world.

[00:00:00] CEOs' Hidden Fears About AI Leadership

• Why 70% of global CEOs feel unprepared to lead AI transformation and the risks of lacking a strategy.

[00:04:00] The AI Power Circle: A New Model for Executive Learning

• Introducing a hybrid learning framework helping leaders align AI adoption with organizational change management.

[00:12:00] Google's Alpha Evolve: AI’s Leap into Novel Problem-Solving

• What Alpha Evolve means for coding, innovation, and why this shift demands a leadership mindset reboot.

[00:19:00] Microsoft’s Four Lessons for AI Adoption in Teams

• Key takeaways on why enablement beats access, the role of feedback loops, and why everyone is already an AI user.

[00:28:00] The Broken Model of Education Exposed by AI Cheating

• Reflecting on the viral "Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College" article and the urgent call for instructional redesign.

[00:41:00] OECD’s Warning on the Digital Well-Being of Children

• Why today's always-on digital world is failing young people and how educators can reclaim their role as mentors in the AI era.

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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• Daitaku Global CEO Report
• AI Power Circle
• A hybrid leadership learning experience. Join the AI Power Circle
• OECD Report: "How’s Life for Children in the Digital Age"

This episode unpacks the viral claims that AI leadership doesn't exist yet and challenges that view by highlighting the real issue our resistance to change management and leadership development. Sabba and Stefan discuss how organizations can unlock real transformation by focusing on people, teams, and culture rather than just tools, while raising urgent questions about AI’s expanding role in social and professional life.

Timestamps

[00:01:00] Rethinking AI Leadership

• Sabba and Stefan critique viral LinkedIn posts claiming AI leadership doesn’t exist, arguing that this is more about change management than technological gaps.

[00:03:00] Defining What AI Leaders Actually Do

• They break down what true AI leadership looks like—navigating ambiguity, redesigning workflows, and building learning cultures.

[00:08:00] The Career Question Everyone Should Be Asking

• Stefan introduces a provocative reflection: What can you do better without AI than with it? This sparks a conversation about job security, workplace dynamics, and productivity.

[00:22:00] Microsoft’s Game-Changing People Skills Tool

• Sabba highlights Microsoft's new AI-powered employee skills mapping, pushing organizations to prioritize collaboration, visibility, and culture.

[00:34:00] AI Social Companions: The New Mental Health Crisis?

• The episode wraps by dissecting Mark Zuckerberg's push for AI companions, exploring the blurred lines between tech-driven connection and human relationships.

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]⁠

Resources Mentioned

• Sparketype Assessment
• Canva AI Webinar Replay
• Microsoft Work Trend Index
• Common Sense Media AI Companions Report
• Amy Edmondson's Research on Psychological Safety

This week, Sabba and Stefan explore the increasingly blurred lines between AI as a companion, and AI as chatbot, and what's at stake for today's young people. With urgent reports from Common Sense Media and bold visions from tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Visa, the conversation uncovers the stark contrasts and underlying truths shaping our AI-driven future. This episode is a call to leadership, urging schools, parents, and communities to move beyond fear and into thoughtful engagement.

Timestamps

[00:00] Competing Visions of AI’s Future

• Sabba introduces the episode's central theme: AI's dual identity as a supportive teammate and a dangerous emotional influence, especially on youth.

[02:00] Common Sense Media vs. Microsoft AI

• A deep dive into the recent Common Sense Media report flagging AI companions as unsafe for minors and contrasting it with Mustafa Suleyman’s optimistic view of AI as a digital species.

[14:00] The Inconsistency of AI Ratings in Education

• Exploring contradictions in Common Sense Media’s app evaluations, highlighting the blurred lines between chatbots and AI companions used in educational settings

[20:00] Corporate AI First Strategies & Education’s Outdated Response

• Discussion of bold AI-first declarations by companies like Duolingo and Shopify and the disconnect with education's cautious or regressive stance.

[37:00] Orbs, World ID, and AI Shoppers

• Introduction to Worldcoin’s biometric ID system and Visa’s vision of AI-powered financial agents—spotlighting how AI is rapidly embedding itself into everyday life.

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]

Resources Mentioned

• Common Sense Media Report on AI Companions
• Applied AI Podcast featuring Mustafa Suleyman
• Worldcoin  by Tools for Humanity
• Visa CEO Interview on AI Shopping Agents
• Desert Sands Unified School District AI Guidance