In this episode of ChatEDU (Viral or Villain - Is the AI Backlash Just Beginning?), Matt and Liz open with travel updates from Liz’s time at ISTE/ASCD, shoutouts to listeners met on the road, and a quick prompt hack before diving into three big stories shaping the tension between AI’s rapid adoption in schools and growing backlash in society. From AI-powered literacy tools to global assessment changes and the tension between usage and resistance, this episode explores what happens when AI goes viral, and when the backlash begins.

Story #1: Amira’s AI Literacy Screening in Newark

Newark Public Schools is rolling out Amira, an AI-powered literacy screener assessing K-3 students by listening to them read aloud. The tool helps identify fluency challenges and personalizes interventions while emphasizing augmentation, not replacement, of teachers. While promising for early literacy, experts highlight the need for human oversight, particularly for English learners, to ensure equitable outcomes.

Story #2: PISA Adds AI Literacy to Global Assessments

The OECD’s PISA assessment will add a Media and AI Literacy domain in 2029 to measure students’ critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and ability to navigate misinformation in an AI-mediated world. Using simulations of search engines, social media feeds, and chatbot interactions, this marks a major shift in what global assessments will value, preparing systems to measure skills relevant to the digital age.

Story #3 (Beneath the Surface): The Walton Study, Wired, and the Growing AI Backlash

A new Walton Family Foundation survey with Gallup shows teachers are saving nearly six weeks a year using AI while improving lesson quality and work-life balance. Meanwhile, 97% of Gen Z students are using AI for homework, test prep, and college essays. Yet, a rising backlash is building outside schools as concerns over automation, environmental impact, and copyright issues grow. Matt and Liz discuss what leaders should do to pair intentional AI adoption with policy, dialogue, and equity to navigate the coming tension.

Bright Byte: Microsoft’s MAI-DXO Diagnoses Faster and Cheaper

In healthcare, Microsoft’s MAI-DXO has diagnosed 85% of complex medical cases accurately while lowering costs by reducing unnecessary testing. This signals how AI can streamline diagnostics, save money, and improve care, if implemented with thoughtful clinical validation.

Links and References

Amira Literacy Screening (Chalkbeat + NJ.com)

https://www.nj.com/mosaic/2025/06/newark-launches-ai-tool-to-boost-literacy-for-struggling-students.html

PISA Media & AI Literacy Domain – OECD Announcement

https://www.oecd.org/en/about/projects/pisa-2029-media-and-artificial-intelligence-literacy.html

Walton/Gallup AI Survey – Teach for Tomorrow Report

https://www.gallup.com/analytics/659819/k-12-teacher-research.aspx

Wired on AI Backlash – Reese Rogers, June 28

https://www.wired.com/story/generative-ai-backlash/

Microsoft MAI-DXO Diagnostic Orchestrator

https://microsoft.ai/new/the-path-to-medical-superintelligence/

Skills21 AI Resources and Policy Samples

skills21.org/ai/resources

Sponsor: National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing

nextgenmfg.org

In this episode of ChatEDU (Check Please: Is Your AI Paying Off?) Matt and Jonathan open with updates about Liz’s at ISTE/ASCD. From there, they tackle a practical and philosophical look at AI’s rapid growth, job impacts, classroom adoption, and hidden trade-offs as leaders rethink what to automate. The episode closes with a bright byte on how AI is helping India map heat risks, proving that machine learning can drive real-world climate adaptation.

Story #1: The AI Resume Arms Race

Matt and Jonathan unpack a recent New York Times piece on how employers are overwhelmed by a flood of AI-generated resumes, while companies fight back with AI-powered screening tools. It’s an HR arms race with clear parallels to the college essay challenge, forcing educators and employers alike to rethink what authentic assessment and hiring should look like in the age of generative AI.

Story #2: What Gets Measured Gets Automated

Pulling from a Harvard Business Review analysis, Matt and Jonathan explore which tasks AI will automate first, from grading quizzes to lesson planning to even attendance tracking via facial recognition. They discuss where AI makes sense, where human judgment is still essential, and how this ties into deeper conversations about what education is truly for in an AI-saturated world.

Story #3 (Beneath the Surface): Is Your AI Actually Adding Value?

Going deeper, they highlight an HBR “AI Value Audit” to help educators and leaders assess when using AI saves time versus when it erodes critical learning, skill development, and human connection. They apply this audit live, pulling real tasks from ChatGPT histories and discussing which uses genuinely amplify their work—and which risk making things shallower.

Bright Byte: India Uses AI to Map Heat Risks

India is now using AI and satellite data to map heat vulnerability building-by-building across major cities. This lets communities target interventions like cool roofs and green spaces, helping residents adapt to extreme heat events made worse by climate change. It’s a crisp example of how AI can drive practical climate resilience at scale.

Announcements

The Summer Micro-Credential is still open, with a special ISTE/ASCD promo for attendees. skills21.org/ai/micro

Links and References

Anthropic’s Claudius Experiment

https://time.com/7298088/claude-anthropic-shop-ai-jobs/

NYT on AI and Hiring

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/technology/ai-spending-openai-amazon-meta.html

Harvard Business Review: What Gets Measured Gets Automated

https://hbr.org/2025/06/what-gets-measured-ai-will-automate

Harvard Business Review: Audit Your AI Use

https://hbr.org/2025/06/recalculating-the-costs-and-benefits-of-gen-ai

India Heat Mapping with AI

https://www.wired.com/story/india-is-using-ai-and-satellites-to-map-urban-heat-vulnerability-down-to-the-building-level/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.

Sponsor

This episode is supported in part by the National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing

www.nextgenmfg.org