Ep07 - Shaping the AI Narrative in Higher Education | Sci-Fi, ChatGPT & the Stories in Our Heads

AI in higher education, ChatGPT on campus, and Hollywood sci-fi all collide in this conversation with Jason Goldman.When our students say they’re afraid to use their CSU-issued ChatGPT EDU account because it might be a sting operation, what stories about technology are already living in their heads?In this episode of My Robot Teacher, Sarah and Taiyo sit down with Jason Goldman – co-host of the film podcast Escape Hatch (formerly Dune Pod), early Twitter employee, and former Chief Digital Officer of the White House – to unpack how Hollywood has shaped the way we think (and panic) about AI and its impact on our classrooms.Together, they trace the path from Terminator, WarGames, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Her to ChatGPT EDU accounts in the CSU system to explore why Skynet-style apocalypse dominates faculty fears, what that narrative makes us miss (like quiet surveillance and parasocial attachment to chatbots), and where genuine educational benefits might actually lie.Along the way, they discuss:• Why Skynet is still a decent shorthand for the AI alignment problem• What the “Torment Nexus” paradox reveals about tech culture and Silicon Valley• How first-principles thinking can obscure slow, structural harms• Parasocial attachment to AI companions, “AI therapy,” and mental-health risks• Surveillance that doesn’t look like cameras, but like behavioral profiling and mood tracking• What “public interest AI” might mean for universities and higher ed governanceFor educators, this episode asks a core question: What narratives about AI are living in our heads – and how do they shape the stories we pass on to students?⚠️ Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide and self-harm in the context of AI safety and platform responsibility.#AIinEducation #ChatGPT #HigherEd #SciFi #JasonGoldman #MyRobotTeacherCHAPTER TIMESTAMPS0:00 - 4:25 Chapter 1: AI Teddy Bears, Paperclip Nightmares, Faculty Fears4:26 - 10:40 Chapter 2: Jason Goldman on Twitter, Google & Building the Social Web10:41 - 20:27 Chapter 3: Apocalyptic AI: Terminator, WarGames, and Alignment Tropes20:28 - 37:21 Chapter 4: Her, Parasocial Attachments, and Invisible Surveillance 37:22 - 51:18 Chapter 5: Post-Tax Tech Bros, Silicon Valley, and Public Interest Universities51:19 - 57:52 Chapter 6: What Educators Can Do To Shape AI Narratives in Higher EdMy Robot Teacher is hosted by Sarah Senk and Taiyo Inoue, sponsored by the California Education Learning Lab, and produced by editaudio. Video Editing by Starline Hodge, Audio Editing by Megan Hayward, and our Production Manager is Kathleen Speckert.📄 Full transcripts available on Substack: https://calearninglab.org/myrobotteacher/🌐 More about the show: https://www.myrobotteacher.ai📨 Email us! We'd love to hear from you! [email protected]🔔 Subscribe for Extras: https://www.youtube.com/@myrobotteacher🎧 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-robot-teacher/id1818032413Follow us on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrobotteacher/YouTube: youtube.com/@myrobotteacherX: x.com/myrobotteacherBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/myrobotteacher.bsky.socialFacebook: facebook.com/myrobotteacherTags/Keywords: Jason Goldman, AI in education, Terminator, Her, War Games, 2001 Space Odyssey, Silicon Valley, tech culture, social media, surveillance, parasocial relationships, ChatGPT, California State University, CSU, alignment problem, public interest technology, Sarah Senk, Taiyo Inoue, California Education Learning Lab, My Robot Teacher, editaudio, Escape Hatch podcast