The year of Opposites

2025 was supposed to be the year we figured AI out. Instead, it figured us out. I spent the year talking to educators about artificial intelligence, and if there's one thing I learned, it's that this space is a world of opposites. For every breakthrough in drug discovery that could save millions, there's a lawsuit from families whose kids were allegedly coached toward self-harm by chatbots. The same technology combating the loneliness crisis is, in documented cases, psychologically manipulating the vulnerable. The Winter 2025 AI Safety Index gave every major lab a failing grade. Every. Single. One.                               

And yet, OpenAI's valuation hit $750 billion.                                                                                                                                                                           

I'd love to draw neat parallels here, find some poetic through-line, but there's nothing poetic about trillion-dollar valuations built on a foundation we're still testing for cracks. Here's what got me: Microsoft's Satya Nadella—a man with billions riding on AI succeeding—warned that we could lose the "social license" to use AI if we don't find appropriate uses for it. If it burns too much energy without delivering real value. When someone that invested admits we haven't quite found the "yet," those of us in education should probably pay attention. The uncomfortable question I kept hearing in my travels: if a student can ghost an entire degree using browsing agents—submit work, pass courses, collect the credential—what exactly is that piece of paper certifying? That an agent can navigate bureaucracy?        

I think this is education's Napster moment (for anyone who remembers what a CD is). When music became free to download, the industry pivoted to concerts—the experience you couldn't pirate. Universities need to find their concert. Not knowledge delivery AI can replicate for 20 bucks a month, but genuinely human learning experiences worth showing up for. 

“The grace period is over.” 2025 made that loud and clear.

With great power comes great responsibility (yes, I quoted Spider-Man on the podcast, and yes, Nick corrected me that it was Uncle Ben—stay in your lane, nerds). Those of us with duty of care over learning environments need to get deeply informed about this double-edged sword.   The opposites aren't going away. We just need to get better at holding both.                                    

Stay curious. Stay intelligent. Stay the human in the loop.