We’ve entered the “what they build, I can build better” phase of AI in education — a stage we’ve been approaching for some time. The difference now is that big tech is fully engaged, and when one company makes a move, others quickly follow. This week brought clear examples of that competitive leapfrogging in action.
As always, there’s plenty of noise in the AI and education space. My aim is to cut through it and highlight what’s most relevant, actionable, or worth deeper reflection. I’m sharing this because it seems a waste to let it sit unseen on my scratchpad.
Top of Mind for AI and Education This Week: Swiss definition of Human-AI Co-Thinking
Swiss Education made an important move this week with the release of the white paper “Human-AI Co-Thinking: Transforming Swiss Education.” Among other things this paper reinforced moving beyond viewing AI as a tool or tutor and proposes a transformative, human-centered approach to learning with AI (something we can all learn from). What I appreciated was that they took the time to define co-thinking, specifically around the proposition that Human-AI co-thinking is a fundamental skill, akin to reading or mathematics, that is essential for all learners. I cannot stress enough how important definitions are right now — if we toss terms around without defining them it adds to confusion and clutter for educators and implementation.
Human-AI Co-Thinking as defined in the Executive Summary is, “this ability to communicate with AI systems to amplify one’s intellectual capabilities while developing a sixth sense to discern their cognitive dissonances”
The big difference in this document and others that have come up in recent weeks is that this framing of AI in education paints a future that is not about integrating AI into classrooms, but redefining education through AI-human synergy. Shout out to AI-Suisse for their work on this AI and Education white paper.
AI in Education Global Updates: Google joins Open-AI in Study Modes releasing Guided Learning Mode for Gemini and Video Overviews in Notebook LM
Last week I shared the news that OpenAI had released Study Mode. This week, Google followed OpenAI in releasing Guided Learning Mode. According to an overview from TechCrunch, Google’s Guided Learning is positioned to not just deliver answers but also develop critical thinking skills and support learning.
In the official announcement of Guided Learning in Gemini via her blog post, Maureen Heymans VP of Learning at Google noted that, “Guided Learning is informed by years of research and partnership with educators, pedagogical experts and students. We began by asking a fundamental question: how could AI support learning responsibly? In 2022, we established a cross-disciplinary team of AI experts, neuroscientists and cognitive scientists. Working closely with external learning experts, we found that simply improving prompting wasn’t enough to create a meaningful learning tool.”
Google also announced on Wednesday that it’s offering students in the U.S., Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and Brazil a free one-year subscription to Google’s AI Pro plan.
Learn more about signing up for the free one-year subscription to Google’s AI Pro Plan for students here.
Also in news from Google this week, the launch of video overviews in Notebook LM. I’ve shared before how useful Notebook LM is for diversifying access and summaries for learners. This adds a new layer and opportunity for users. In a nutshell, Notebook LM now offers video (which is really just a series of narrated slides).
Here’s a recap of the Swiss Education and AI white paper that I had Notebook LM run for me earlier this week.
AI in Education updates from the United States: Google Pledges $1B to U.S. Higher Ed for AI Training and Tools
Google has been busy this week! On Wednesday the news hit my inbox, that Google has committed US$1 billion over three years to support AI training and tools for higher education institutions, with over 100 universities already participating. We have seen a lot of this happening and it always comes down to implementation and use, and mitigation of any risks to students (who are often the expected end-users). In this pledge, Google will provide participating schools with cash, cloud computing credits, and access to premium AI technologies like an advanced version of the Gemini chatbot (which will be free for students). Read more at https://www.reuters.com/world/us/google-commits-1-billion-ai-training-us-universities-2025-08-06/
AI in Education updates from Africa: Kenya funds from Google will support academic institutions and nonprofits in developing localized curriculum and training
Last week, I shared the news that Google has launched a $37 million investment initiative across Africa. This week, Google committed approximately $7 million to support AI education and skill development in four African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana. In Kenya, the funds are earmarked for academic institutions and nonprofits developing localized AI curricula, cybersecurity training, and online safety programs. Read more at https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/kenya/kenya-among-4-beneficiaries-as-google-announces-ksh-900m-ai-education-funding/ar-AA1JhSKV
AI in Education Updates from South America: Offline AI for Students in Guatemala using Dell AI PCs
I missed this when I was traveling last month and I want to be sure it is on everyone’s radar so am sharing this week (even though it is outside of my typical one-week focus). In July, Intel, in collaboration with World Wide Technology, announced that students in Guatemala City using Dell laptops that are powered by Intel Core Ultra processors that have on-device AI accelerators will now have access to an offline large language model (LLM) tutor to function without internet access. The Dell PCs provide personalized instruction in Spanish, English, and mathematics, while allowing teachers to analyze interaction logs to tailor lesson plans, with the system specifically adapted to Guatemalan cultural and linguistic contexts. This is important in that this solution is designed for scalability, affordability, and open-source flexibility. The initiative is another layer of activities focused on addressing the ever-persistent digital divide and has plans for expansion to institutions in India, Africa, and South America. Read more at https://newsroom.intel.com/artificial-intelligence/intel-brings-offline-ai-opportunity-to-students-in-guatemala
AI in Education Updates from India: Khosla shares some ideas on AI and replacing elite schools
In a recent episode of Nikhil Kamath’s podcast, Vinod Khosla asserted that “college degrees are dead”, forecasting a future where AI tutors surpass even top-tier human educators in quality and accessibility. He shared his thoughts on how AI can democratize education and professional services, and enable seamless shifts between fields like engineering and medicine and making expertise in law, finance, and healthcare universally and affordably accessible. According to Khosla, new AI technologies could replace traditional academic and professional gatekeepers. Take a few minutes to give this one a read, the insights of the founder of Sun Microsystems are always worth considering. Read more at https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/vinod-khosla-nikhil-kamath-podcast-ai-education-college-degrees-10166985/ Or watch the podcast at https://www.youtube.com/@nikhil.kamath.
Remember that the future of education is being shaped now and we need more voices that are informed, thoughtful, and equity-driven. Subscribe to Jody’s newsletter to get weekly updates delivered right to your in-box at https://jodybritten.medium.com/subscribe.
