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Kristin Vincent is VP of Product at Learning Commons, where she leads teams focused on scaling proven teaching and learning practices. She has spent 20 years building Edtech products, including leadership roles at Pearson and K12.com/Strive.

Brian Johnsrud, PhD is OpenAI’s Global Head of Educational Engagement. A former K-12 teacher, college lecturer, and education technology researcher, he focuses on helping educators and students use AI to build skills, agency, and new possibilities for learning.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How Learning Commons’ knowledge graph grounds AI in education data.
2. Why AI for teachers needs to improve quality, not just efficiency.
3. How teachers are using AI for personalization and lesson planning.
4. Why access, support, and trust matter for AI adoption.
5. How AI is changing Edtech co-design and collaboration.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:05:42] Bringing education data into ChatGPT.
[00:09:27] Making AI outputs more trustworthy for teachers.
[00:12:15] Why educators need accessible AI tools.
[00:18:00] Teachers using AI to design for their unique classrooms.
[00:23:33] AI accelerates collaboration between educators, researchers, and Edtech companies.

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.

🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack New York City and Los Angeles school AI restrictions, the launch of a new AI tutor from Aristotle, and how Salesforce is supporting educators, students, and career pathways in the AI era.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:01:57] AI, cognitive offloading, and the future of learning
[00:06:21] New York City restricts student-facing AI tools in schools
[00:11:13] AI, edtech, and the growing technology backlash
[00:15:08] The paradox of banning AI in schools
[00:22:58] AI policy across New York, Los Angeles, and Miami-Dade

Plus, special guests:
[00:33:49] Shan Reddy and Vivek Vajipey, Co-founders of Aristotle, on building an AI tutor designed around pedagogy and student learning
[01:01:15] Dr. Ron C. Smith, VP of Philanthropy at Salesforce, on supporting educators, students, and career pathways in the AI era

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.

🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Cooley LLP. Cooley is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.

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Nils Gilman is Senior Advisor to the Berggruen Institute, an intellectual historian by training and a widely published essayist on the future of higher education and AI's impact on work and learning. His writing has appeared in Noema, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, and many other venues. He holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley.

Hosted by Matthew Rascoff
This episode is part of the Edtech Insiders HigherEd Podcast Series, featuring conversations with leaders shaping the future of higher education.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

1. How AI is disrupting traditional assessment.
2. What students should learn when AI can do the work.
3. Why trust, taste, and goal-setting matter.
4. How the “multiversity” could be reimagined.
5. What AI-enabled, social learning could look like.

✨ Episode Highlights
[00:14:20] AI disrupts the term paper and problem set.
[00:17:41] Trust, taste, and goals as uniquely human capabilities.
[00:21:59] Rethinking the classroom as a social experience.
[00:25:37] The future of the “multiversity.”
[00:47:09] Can personalized education scale?

😎 Stay updated with Edtech Insiders!

Follow us on our podcast, newsletter & LinkedIn here.

🎉 Presenting Sponsor/s:

Tuck Advisors was founded by entrepreneurs who built and sold their own companies, frustrated by other m and a firms, they created the one they wished they could have hired but couldn't find. One who understands what matters to founders and whose North Star KPI is the percentage of deals closed. If you're thinking of selling your ed tech company or buying one contact Tuck advisors now.

Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Cooley LLP. Cooley is the go-to law firm for education and edtech innovators, offering industry-informed counsel across the 'pre-K to gray' spectrum. With a multidisciplinary approach and a powerful edtech ecosystem, Cooley helps shape the future of education.

Innovation in preK to gray learning is powered by exceptional people. For over 15 years, EdTech companies of all sizes and stages have trusted HireEducation to find the talent that drives impact. When specific skills and experiences are mission-critical, HireEducation is a partner that delivers. Offering permanent, fractional, and executive recruitment, HireEducation knows the go-to-market talent you need. Learn more at HireEdu.com.