Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping the University

Higher education is facing two converging pressures: generative AI disrupting early-career labor markets and new federal “earnings test” accountability rules tying program viability to graduate income. In this episode of Unfixed, we examine how AI is thinning entry-level work, why mid-tier public universities may be especially exposed, and how federal accountability metrics could amplify wage suppression caused by automation. Drawing on reporting from Jeffrey Selingo, PBS NewsHour, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and U.S. Department of Education materials, we explore why GenAI and federal regulation are no longer separate stories. We close by asking what university leaders, faculty, and systems—especially in California—should do before signaling effects and enrollment shocks reshape the sector.

Jeffrey Selingo, New York Magazine / Intelligencer, What Is College For in the Age of AI?

PBS NewsHour, How AI may be robbing new college graduates of traditional entry-level jobs

U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education Reaches Consensus on Historic New Accountability Framework

Brian O’Leary, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Colleges Face a New Test on Their Grads’ Earnings. These Programs Fail It. (Note: Paywalled)

California State University, Strategic Planning for the CSU (CSU Forward)

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

Ep. 22 Building AI Capacity in Public Higher Ed with James Frazee

In this episode of Unfixed, we’re joined by Dr. James Frazee, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at San Diego State University, to unpack how large public universities are navigating AI strategy, governance, and equity at scale. As a nationally recognized leader in AI and data-informed decision-making, Frazee shares insights from spearheading SDSU’s AI and digital transformation survey—an effort that has since been adopted systemwide across the California State University system.

James Frazee

SDSU Statement on Generative AI (GenAI) Privacy

SDSU AI Survey

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

In this episode of Unfixed Newswire, Nik and Zach break down the most consequential—and occasionally absurd—AI news. The conversation spans OpenAI’s push toward ads and potential NSFW content; the relentless churn of new AI models like Gemini 3 and GPT-5.x; and why tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork may signal a real shift toward AI agents as co-workers. They also interrogate the current AI investment bubble, unpack why enterprise tools like Google Gemini’s Canvas integration may matter more than headline-grabbing launches, and close with some deliberately irresponsible speculation about humanoid robots.

OpenAI begins piloting advertisements 

AI Daily Brief, January 19, 2026, How to Make ChatGPT Ads Not Suck

The Verge,ChatGPT’s ‘adult mode’ is expected to debut in Q1 2026, https://www.theverge.com/news/842657/openai-chatgpt-adult-mode-debut-q1-2026

The Crimson, 1994, Porn on the internet!

Humai, GPT-5.2 vs Claude Opus 4.5 vs Gemini 3 Pro: The Complete Comparison

The AI Daily Brief, January 13 2026, Claude Cowork is Claude Code for everyone else 

Wired, Anthropic’s Claude Cowork Is an AI Agent That Actually Works 

Instructure, Unleash the Power of AI in Canvas with Gemini LTI™

Neo, your home robot

Marques Bownlee (MKBHD) on the problem with NEO the robot 

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

In this episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach take on a difficult but necessary conversation about nostalgia in higher education. Using real media headlines, faculty experiences, and their own teaching histories, they explore how AI panic taps into a deeper longing for a pre-pandemic, pre-ChatGPT past that may never have been as stable as we remember. The discussion unpacks what nostalgia is, why it’s so powerful right now, and how scapegoating AI can obscure long-standing challenges around reading, writing, and motivation. Rather than a call to “go back,” this episode walks the line between insight and wake-up—arguing that AI often reveals what’s already broken and, in some cases, opens space to fix it.

Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Inside Higher Ed, No, the Pre-AI Era Was Not That Great

Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, What Happens after A.I. Destroys College Writing

New York Magazine, Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College

Lindsay McKenzie, 2018, Inside Higher Ed, Learning Tool or Cheating Aid?

Raphael, The School of Athens

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

Nik and Zach review the best and worst of AI in higher ed for 2025. AI and Higher Education: 2025 We unpack the collapse of AI detection, the rise of system-wide AI partnerships like CSU and OpenAI, uneven assessment redesign, growing faculty stratification, and mounting concern that generative AI is hollowing out entry-level knowledge-work jobs. The episode closes by looking ahead to 2026, including model updates, political backlash, environmental impacts, and what higher education faces if the AI bubble bursts.

Nik and Zach’s top five of the year:

Zach Justus, That terrible “Everyone is cheating their way through college” essay

Nik Janos, The Assistant for the Rest of Us

Nik Janos, Builders: Designing the Post-AI University

Zach Justus and Nik Janos, No, The Pre-AI Era Wasn’t that Great (Inside Higher Ed)

Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Why professors are more important than ever in the AI era (EdSource)

Mentioned:

Rampant AI Cheating Is Ruining Education Alarmingly Fast (Intelligencer / New York Magazine, May 7, 2025)

Experts Weigh In on “Everyone” Cheating in College (Inside Higher Ed, May 20, 2025)

Unfixed episode 16: Inside the CSU-OpenAI Partnership

OpenAI and the California State University system bring AI to 500,000 students and faculty (OpenAI, Feb 2025)

CSU, OpenAI roll out ChatGPT Edu to California college students (Axios, Feb 4, 2025)

OpenAI targets higher education with ChatGPT rollout at CSU (Reuters, Feb 4, 2025)

2025 EDUCAUSE AI Landscape Study: Into the Digital AI Divide (EDUCAUSE, Feb 2025)

AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself (Current Affairs, Dec 2025)

These Students Use AI a Lot — but Not to Cheat (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2025)

How AI Is Changing—Not ‘Killing’—College (Inside Higher Ed, Aug 29, 2025)

2025 AI Index Report (Stanford HAI, 2025)

How to Think of AI in Education (MIT Open Learning, July 2025)

Unfixed episode 11: AGI and the Future of Higher Ed: talking with Ray Schoeder

Universities risk becoming passive arms of Silicon Valley if they don’t question AI (Business Insider, Dec 2025)

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

Dr. Shelley Hart joins Nik and Zach to explore how children and adolescents are forming relationships with generative AI. We discuss what “too young” means in an AI-saturated world, and how parents, teachers, and caregivers can responsibly shape norms, boundaries, and ethics around AI use. Drawing on her expertise in child development, Dr. Hart offers practical insights for guiding kids through emerging technologies.

Shelley Hart

Nik Janos, Typing, Talking, Googling: Seeing the AI-first generation 

Todd Feathers, Wired, Parents Fell in Love with Alpha School’s Promise then They Wanted Out

First 1000 Days

Serve and return

UC Irvine study, California Parents Report their Fears and Hopes for AI

Michael Connelly’s novel The Proving Ground 

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

In this episode, Nik and Zach unpack how Trump’s alignment with AI labs, deregulation, and political culture wars collide with higher education. With weak federal guidance, states—and universities—are left to chart their own AI futures.

Zach Justus and Nik Janos, Inside Higher Ed, AI Has Gone MAGA 

Mohar Chatterjee, Politico, AI is Opening a MAGA-Trump Split 

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

California State University leaders Emily Magruder and Leslie Kennedy join Unfixed to discuss how the CSU–OpenAI partnership is reshaping conversations about teaching, technology, and faculty work. They share lessons from system-level innovation, union tensions, and the future of AI in higher education.

Emily Magruder

Leslie Kennedy

Nik Janos, Melts into Air,  Thoughts on the first AI-powered university

Julie Bajaras, LAist, Inside Cal State's big $17 million bet on ChatGPT for all

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

Alchemy Learning’s Brett Christie joins us to unpack real gaps on campus—tools, culture, and strategy—and how partners can help. We discuss “build vs. buy” to faculty buy-in and smart governance and explore how Universal Design for Learning is as important as ever in the AI age. 

Alchemy Learning Website

Alchemy Webinar Series  

Zach Justus on Melts into Air, “AI Is Making Edtech Pricier”

Cogniti

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org

In this episode of Unfixed, Nik and Zach explore the rise of AI agents—autonomous, goal-driven systems that can research, plan, and even collaborate with learners. From inbox triage and coding prototypes to the not-yet-ready world of full computer control, they unpack where agents are already useful on campus and where hype outpaces reality. The conversation turns to higher ed implications: assessment, advising, operations, and governance. Tune in for a clear look at how AI agents are reshaping student learning, faculty work, and the future of universities.

Note: Dear listener please forgive the substandard audio. We had a technical malfunction during the recording of this episode.

World Economic Forum & Capgemini. Navigating the AI Frontier: A Primer on the Evolution and Impact of AI Agents

Google Cloud. “What are AI agents? Definition, examples, and types.”

Yan, L. (2025). From Passive Tool to Socio-cognitive Teammate: A Conceptual Framework for Agentic AI in Human-AI Collaborative Learning.

Nik Janos, Melts into Air, The Assistant for the Rest of Us

Unfixed Podcast, AGI and the Future of Higher Education with Ray Schroeder

Hard Fork, A.I. School Is in Session: Two Takes on the Future of Education.

Zach Justus, Melts into Air, AI Is Making Edtech Pricier—and In-House Builds Plausible Again

Thoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

You can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.org