• THE AI WAY
  • Posts
  • AI's Edge in Education: Navigating Promises and Pitfalls in the Latest Technological Evolution

AI's Edge in Education: Navigating Promises and Pitfalls in the Latest Technological Evolution

Author

Niel de Kock
April 10, 2025

Welcome to the latest news in AI and AI in educational news.

Education AI News

Google AI Mistakenly Presents April Fools' Joke as Real News

Journalist Ben Black, who runs the community site Cwmbran Life, was stunned to discover that his 2020 April Fools' joke—claiming Cwmbran held the world record for roundabouts—was recently repeated as fact by Google’s AI Overview tool. Despite clearly marking the story as a prank on the same day it was published, Google's AI and a driving website presented it as real news years later.

Black called the incident “scary” and a warning about how fake news can persist online. He expressed concern over AI tools repurposing original content without consent, noting that small publishers like himself are being sidelined while larger media outlets strike lucrative AI deals. The experience has discouraged him from creating future April Fools' stories. Google is investigating the issue.

Google Teams Up with PJM to Use AI to Fix the U.S. Grid Backlog

Google and grid operator PJM have announced a new partnership to deploy AI tools aimed at accelerating the approval process for connecting new power sources to the U.S. electrical grid. With help from Alphabet's innovation division Tapestry, the initiative seeks to reduce the massive interconnection backlog—especially for renewable energy—by streamlining data verification and planning through centralized tools.

This effort comes amid rising energy demand driven by AI technologies and data centers. Currently, 2.6 terawatts of energy projects—twice the capacity of all U.S. power plants combined—are stuck waiting for grid approval. PJM alone has over 3,000 applications in its queue, with a freeze on new submissions until 2026. AI could help renewables like solar and battery storage get through faster, where they’ve been disproportionately delayed. Google, which has committed to decarbonizing its energy use, sees this as a crucial step toward a more sustainable grid.

Educators Say AI Can’t Solve Mental Health Crisis in Schools, Despite Rising Adoption

A global survey conducted by McGraw Hill reveals that while AI adoption is rapidly growing in education, most educators remain skeptical of its ability to address critical student challenges—particularly mental health and behavioral issues. Surveying over 1,300 educators across 19 countries, the report found that 52% identified out-of-school factors and 45% cited student mental health as the biggest challenges—areas they say AI is poorly equipped to support.

Educators do see AI’s promise in improving academic outcomes through tools like test preparation, translation, and career readiness. Most reported time savings of 3–5 hours per week using generative AI, but this time is not being redirected toward student well-being. Instead, AI is mainly seen as a tool for administrative efficiency and personalized learning—not for nurturing empathy, social skills, or emotional support.

The findings highlight a disconnect between the growing use of AI in classrooms and its perceived value in tackling the deeper human challenges facing education today. As McGraw Hill CEO Simon Allen stated, “AI offers new tools to enhance learning, but the biggest challenges in education are highly persistent and won’t be solved overnight.

AI ‘Deepfakes’ Fuel Cyberbullying Crisis in Schools: Girls Most at Risk

Deepfake technology—AI-generated images or videos that mimic real individuals—has sparked a disturbing new wave of cyberbullying in schools, with girls disproportionately affected. A growing number of students are being targeted by sexually explicit deepfakes created using "nudify" apps that require only a single photo to generate fake nude images.

The psychological damage to victims is severe, often leading to school withdrawal, depression, and long-term reputational harm. Despite the rising cases, most schools lack policies or training to respond effectively. A 2024 survey revealed that 71% of educators received no professional development on AI.

Experts call for education-based interventions, such as including AI ethics, privacy, and consent in health classes, and implementing restorative justice practices. Anonymous reporting tools and support structures can also help schools protect and empower victims.

While legislation is starting to address AI-generated child abuse, gaps remain. Advocates argue that proactive education, not just reactive policies, is the best defense against this growing threat.

AI News

Who’s Winning the Global AI Race? Stanford Report Shows a Tightening Competition

The U.S. remains in the lead in the global race for AI dominance, but China is rapidly closing the gap, and Europe is gaining ground, according to Stanford University’s 2025 AI Index. While U.S. institutions led with 40 notable AI models in 2024, China produced 15 and Europe three. Performance-wise, Chinese models reached near-parity with the U.S. in key benchmarks like problem-solving (MMLU) and coding (HumanEval).

China also leads in AI patents, accounting for nearly 70% of global grants, with South Korea and Luxembourg following. Meanwhile, U.S. companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic remain key players, but China’s DeepSeek is emerging as a strong contender, with its R1 model rivaling ChatGPT in performance and cost.

The AI race is no longer just U.S. versus China — it’s becoming truly global, with countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America also entering the field.

Meta Accused of Using Gerry Adams' Books and Others to Train AI Without Permission

Meta is facing backlash after an investigation revealed it may have used pirated books—including works by former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams—to train its AI model, Llama. The books were allegedly accessed via Library Genesis (LibGen), a shadow library hosting millions of pirated texts. Adams and other Northern Irish authors, including Booker Prize winner Anna Burns and academic Monica McWilliams, expressed outrage over the unauthorized use of their work.

Writers and academics say the use of their material without consent or compensation is a violation of copyright, with some highlighting the financial and ethical impact—especially when royalties support causes like domestic violence charities. Meta, currently defending itself in court against similar claims, maintains its actions are legal. However, authors and trade unions are calling for political intervention and stronger protections as AI firms increasingly rely on copyrighted content to train generative models.

YouTube Launches Free AI Music Generator for Creators

YouTube is rolling out a new AI-powered tool that allows creators to generate instrumental background music using text prompts. Integrated into the Creator Music marketplace, the new “Music Assistant” feature lets U.S.-based YouTube Partner Program creators describe the type of music they need—by mood, instruments, or video type—and receive downloadable tracks free of copyright concerns.

The AI music generator is part of YouTube’s ongoing push to support content creators with accessible, royalty-free tools. Unlike YouTube’s earlier “Dream Track” experiment, which mimicked the styles of popular artists, the new feature focuses on original instrumental compositions. The rollout is gradual and only available to those with access to Creator Music.

AI Tools

PitchMeAI Revolutionizes Job Hunting with Voice-to-Resume and One-Click Outreach Tools

PitchMeAI is an AI-powered job search tool that helps users create personalized, ATS-optimized resumes and tailored outreach emails in seconds. Its standout features include a voice-to-resume builder, job-specific resume generation, and one-click email tools to contact recruiters and hiring managers directly. With both free and premium plans, PitchMeAI streamlines networking and job applications, aiming to help users land interviews faster and with less effort.

MetaMonster: The AI-Powered SEO Tool That Instantly Fixes Your Website Metadata

MetaMonster is an AI-powered web crawler built specifically for SEO professionals, agencies, freelancers, and niche site creators. It identifies missing or broken metadata like page titles and meta descriptions and lets users fix them instantly with one click using AI-generated suggestions. Unlike other tools, MetaMonster allows direct publishing to CMS platforms (starting with WordPress) and supports multi-site management from a single dashboard. It automates tedious metadata tasks, saving time while improving rankings and click-through rates. Users can start with a 7-day free trial, and the platform supports CSV export and integrations with additional CMSs like Shopify and Webflow coming soon.

Enjoy your week till next week