What if the data that matters most isn't grades or test scores, but the messy, beautiful process of how students actually learn?

Erin Mote, CEO of InnovateEDU, joins Brett and Rebecca for a timely conversation on National AI Literacy Day 2026. Erin founded the EdSafe AI Alliance and leads a network of educational partnerships touching thousands of school districts nationwide. Her background spans enterprise architecture, personalized learning platforms, and global education technology initiatives.

This episode tackles one of education's most pressing questions: who owns the learning process data that AI systems are quietly collecting? Erin introduces the "ground lease on the family farm" metaphor—describing how foundational models are capturing the intellectual property of teachers and students to fuel AGI development. The conversation moves from policy to practice, exploring the White House's new AI framework (released the day of recording), EdTech accountability gaps where safety features become paid add-ons, and emerging research on AI bias in grading. Punya Mishra's work at ASU reveals how student dialect and cultural references can lower AI-assigned scores, raising urgent questions about fairness and trust.

What You'll Learn:

1. AI literacy as discernment — Why the Blueprint for AI Literacy focuses on critical thinking grounded in the science of learning and development, not just tool proficiency
2. Learning process data vs. PII — How students think, correct mistakes, and sequence productive struggle—and why this data is foundational for AGI
3. EdTech accountability tensions — The pattern of features pushed open by default while safety becomes a paid upgrade, and what shared responsibility really means
4. AI bias in grading — Research showing how dialectical differences like "y'all" and cultural preferences (rap vs. classical music) affect AI scoring
5. National AI Literacy Day evolution — From its founding three years ago to 140+ supporting organizations in 2026, with statewide events, year-round curriculum, and student town halls

The episode features two rounds of The Rhythm Project's AI Effect game, exploring AI-generated apologies and the ethics of using AI to grade 140 essays, plus Ocean's 11 recommendations from Erin's dream team of education innovators.

Brett and Rebecca bring fresh perspectives from recent work: Brett shares insights from presenting with Utah's Matt Winters on six panels exploring humanity in AI policy, while Rebecca reflects on governance research at Edinburgh Futures Institute as she completes her master's in AI ethics.

Tune in, subscribe, and share if you're ready to turn up the volume on what's possible in education.