An Earful of Ivy: AI and the Battle for Higher Ed Integrity | Ep. 112

In this episode of ChatEDU An Earful of Ivy: AI and the Battle for Higher Ed Integrity, Matt and Liz open with an internet prank: an anonymous artist posted a real Monet, claimed it was AI generated, and watched critics bash the masterpiece as AI slop. The hosts then pivot to education, technology, and policy.The RundownJohn R. Soash's three configurations for restricting student access to Gemini AI and Google Lens.Dan Fitzpatrick on Google's pivot from passive chatbots to proactive AI agents.Regional literary winners face scrutiny after their entries were flagged as AI-generated.The federal law requiring platforms to remove nonconsensual student deepfakes within 48 hours, effective May 2026.OpenAI and Google DeepMind use AI reasoning models to autonomously solve longstanding math problems.Dr. Ethan Mollick compares the water and energy costs of computing breakthroughs to everyday resources like almonds and lawns.Academics debate whether AI traffic light systems and the AI Assessment Scale are an enforcement illusion or a genuinely useful tool.A 2026 pilot program delivers cloud workstations and premium tech subscriptions to public libraries in Utah and New Jersey.Beneath the SurfaceMatt and Liz examine how grade inflation and AI cheating fears are driving policy shifts at elite universities: device bans at Yale, a 20% A-grade cap at Harvard, an AI ban at UC Berkeley Law, and the end of Princeton's 133-year-old honor code. As a counterpoint, they feature CU Boulder physicists advocating collaborative, department-level experimentation that treats students as partners rather than imposing top-down bans.The Bright ByteFinland's Kemira and UK-based Cusp AI used generative AI to design over 5,000 new material structures to strip PFAS 'forever chemicals' from municipal drinking water.AnnouncementsPurchase Learning They'll Love - Dr. Elizabeth RaddayAmazon - https://tinyurl.com/22t9hz77Seeing through the Machine – Teaching Bias as an Equity Practice in AI - Dr. Elizabeth Radday - https://tinyurl.com/4ybwkn7aCheck out our middle / high school Student AI Literacy course - ​​⁠⁠⁠www.skills21.org/ai/learnai⁠⁠⁠ Explore Skills21’s FREE social media literacy curriculum - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.skills21.org/social-balance⁠⁠⁠Address Screen Time concerns - ⁠skills21.org/ai/screenshift⁠ SponsorsNectir. Welcome to the Classroom of the Future. https://www.nectir.io/LinksPrankster Passes Off Real Monet Painting as AI-Generated, Chaos Ensueshttps://tinyurl.com/mrab9ne3Blocking Google’s “AI Mode” (IT admin guide)https://tinyurl.com/4px27bm9Google I/O 2026's Impact on Educationhttps://tinyurl.com/2vs3zfzsLiterary Prizewinners Face AI Allegationshttps://tinyurl.com/sh3jry9yWhat's Next for the First AI Deepfakes Lawhttps://tinyurl.com/9v3rzutkAI Solves an 80-Year-Old 'Erdős Problemhttps://tinyurl.com/ykks2mtjAI-Driven Formal Proof Search in Mathematicshttps://tinyurl.com/3wuer99wDiscursive vs. Structural Responses to AI in Educationhttps://tinyurl.com/4d6n82yyLabels, Scales, and What the AIAS Actually Claims to Dohttps://tinyurl.com/su4zr73uBuilding Public AI with Librarieshttps://tinyurl.com/4den8s4kYale to Consider Changes to Mission, Admissions, Aid, and Gradinghttps://tinyurl.com/46779xp5Yale Faculty Say 'Bravo' to Harvard's Grade Caphttps://tinyurl.com/mx6e594cUC Berkeley Law's AI Ban: Why Texas Students Should Pay Attentionhttps://tinyurl.com/32xt4umrPrinceton Changes Its 133-Year-Old Honor Code Over AI Cheating Fearshttps://tinyurl.com/28yjxfjnCU Boulder: Higher Ed AI Change Models Already Out of Datehttps://tinyurl.com/37me2ssj