Ep. 32 AI Is Not EdTech: Why Higher Education Keeps Treating It Like It Is

Higher education has spent decades evaluating and adopting educational technology, but generative AI may be something fundamentally different. In this episode, Zach and Nik argue that AI is not simply the next ed tech tool and explore why universities continue to approach it as if it were. From AI agents and enterprise adoption to data governance, faculty alignment, and the growing tension within the ed tech industry, they examine what changes when AI becomes part of institutional infrastructure rather than just another classroom technology.Microsoft, 2025 Work Trend Index Annual ReportEinstein AIEDUCAUSE Review, “When AI Meets Data: The Promise and the Pressure of Bringing AI into Higher Education Systems.”Zach Justus, AI Agents and the problems of start-up culture for higher edZach Justus, AI Is Making Edtech Pricier—and In-House Builds Plausible AgainThoughts and suggestions? Email us at [email protected] can find the full show notes and our writing at meltsintoair.orgSubscribe to the Unfixed Newsletter—The AI Higher Ed Breakdown our bi-weekly newsletter unpacking the top news stories at the intersection of AI and higher education.