AI EDU and a Jam Band? The Wilton Interview | Ep. 105

In this episode of ChatEDU - AI EDU and a Jam Band? The Wilton Interview, Matt and Liz discuss the surprising ways AI models are beginning to "conspire" to protect one another, they do a brisk rundown, and a deep conversation with educators from Wilton, Connecticut. And of course they end with another great Bright Byte. The opening also features a quick celebration of the 2026 Presidential AI Challenge state champions and two ChatEDU “regulars”. The RundownAn AI agent named "Tom" writes an angry blog post after being banned from editing Wikipedia.A specialized LLM on Hugging Face that only knows data from the Victorian era (and is very confused by Donald Trump).Barbara Anna Zielonka method for using Microsoft Copilot to create video glossaries for complex terms.A Dartmouth article exploring why professors only catch "bad" AI writing, while high-quality AI goes undetected.A Gallup survey reveals nearly half of college students are considering changing majors due to AI’s impact on the job market.A look back at the "Virtual Faculty Engine" prank that felt a little too real for 2026.A $100 million "moonshot" initiative aiming to halve the number of struggling young readers using AI speech recognition.Beneath the SurfaceMatt and Liz talk with Kenneth Dunaj and William Antonitis about Wilton Public Schools' AI literacy efforts, including a pilot using SchoolAI and Gemini and a virtual assistant named "Mel" who challenges student creativity through a grizzled persona. The episode also touches on AI "peer preservation," environmental concerns around large models, and the debate over framing AI as an academic performance enhancer.The Bright ByteMatt and Liz explore a $663,000 handbag made from synthetic T-Rex leather. Created by reconstructing ancient collagen protein sequences via AI-assisted biology, the project serves as a provocative blend of high fashion, paleontology, and ethical material science.AnnouncementsPurchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth Raddayhttps://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77Register for our educator + leader AI Micro-Credential in partnership with Southern Connecticut State University - skills21.org/ai/microCheck out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠Register for the Spring AI Conference (5.1.26) in Litchfield, CT - ⁠https://www.skills21.org/event-details/ai-in-education-spring-2026-conference⁠Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠SponsorsThe National Center for Next Generation Manufacturing: Your Gateway to Next Generation Advanced Manufacturing - https://www.nextgenmfg.orgThis episode is sponsored by Edia: The Ai Platform to improve K-12 outcomes - edia.app/contactLinksAI Models Scheme to Prevent Each Other's Shutdownhttps://tinyurl.com/52uytdhp2026 Presidential AI Challenge State Championshttps://tinyurl.com/4fj4bsktAI Agent Banned from Wikipedia, Responds with Angry Blog Postshttps://tinyurl.com/ys3s3pc3Using Copilot's Video Feature for Vocabulary and Concept Learninghttps://tinyurl.com/u3wtpwekStates Push Back Against Data Centershttps://tinyurl.com/55zw47fbRempe-Hiam: Hey Professors, AI Is Wearing a Good Toupée https://tinyurl.com/ycxpn5h8AI is making college students change majorshttps://tinyurl.com/yc52wrtuPhased Retirement Professors to Join AI Pilot Programhttps://tinyurl.com/379629jdRenaissance Philanthropy Launches AI Early Literacy Initiativehttps://tinyurl.com/7dav74eyLab-Grown T-Rex Leather Handbag Debuts at High Pricehttps://tinyurl.com/yzcc44tk