An unavoidably vain attempt today to keep up with developments in AI and thinking about AI.

1. The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece by David Brooks, Are We Really Willing to Become Dumber?, about an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) study comparing what happens in the brains of three groups of students: those using Large Language Learning models, such as ChatGPT; those using search engines, such as Google; and those using only their own brain https://tinyurl.com/3fcye5wj

But here’s where things get scary. The researchers used an EEG (electroencephalography) headset to look at the inner workings of their subjects’ brains. The subjects who relied only on their own brains showed higher connectivity across a bunch of brain regions. Search engine users experienced less brain connectivity and A.I. users least of all. (…) The brain-only writers had the highest intra-brain connectivity. The search engine group demonstrated between 34 percent to 48 percent lower total connectivity, and the A.I. group demonstrated up to 55 percent lower D.D.T.F. connectivity. The researchers conclude, “Collectively, these findings support the view that external support tools restructure not only task performance but also the underlying cognitive architecture.”

Here’s another, less self-avowedly opinionated account of the same study, from Ness Labs which ends with five practical tips on the use of AI https://nesslabs.com/is-chatgpt-really-rotting-our-brains

2. From Google, Advancing education with AI https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_uk/ai/education/ which has links to a wealth of videos, AI training, toolkits and guides for educators.

Bold technology, applied responsibly, says Google: AI can never replace the expertise, knowledge or creativity of an educator (says Google) — but it can be a helpful tool to enhance and enrich teaching and learning experiences. As part of our Responsible AI practices, we use a human-centered design approach. And when it comes to building tools for education, we are especially thoughtful and deliberate. AI can help educators boost their creativity and productivity, giving them time back to invest in themselves and their students.

I suggest you keep those Ness Labs tips in mind when engaging your brain with Google’s bold technology …

3. In recent weeks, Joe Dale has been running his Listening, Speaking & Fluency with AI online event around the world for the British Council, and the next iteration is on 23^rd July at 09:00 UK time. I’m including it early as it fits with today’s topic, not least because it makes me feel really off the pace!  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6MrnjtLCSLmo1YDPzv5a-w#/registration

Here’s Joe’s blurb:

This session focuses on low-prep, high-impact tools that enhance pronunciation, speaking confidence, and listening comprehension. We’ll explore:

Interactive warm-up with a DirectPoll quiz: “How AI savvy are you?”

A shared Padlet backchannel will run throughout the series for collaborative sharing of links, prompts, and examples

Suno – Create custom AI-generated songs to teach grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation in a memorable way

Vidnoz – Turn student writing into animated talking avatars to boost speaking fluency and reduce performance anxiety

TurboScribe – Transcribe YouTube clips or audio into editable texts for creating listening and gap-fill activities

Brisk Teaching – Automatically generate self-marking Google Form quizzes from YouTube videos or Google Docs

4. AI will feature in the South Asia TeachingEnglish Online Conference 2025, which has a great line-up of speakers (including Dale, J.) https://www.britishcouncil.org.bd/en/programmes/teach/sa2025/speakers The conference runs on three days from 17^th to 19^th July, starting each day at 10:00 UK time: more info and registration here https://www.britishcouncil.org.bd/en/programmes/teach/sa2025

The overall conference theme is Supporting teachers’ professional development and sub-themes include Adopting inclusive practices to support all learners, Integrating 21st century skills into English Language Teaching and Leveraging digital technologies, including AI, to enhance learning and teaching.

5. And, finally, from Rolling Stone, something which ought not to be at all amusing, Elon Musk’s Grok Chatbot Goes Full Nazi, Calls Itself ‘MechaHitler’ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/elon-musk-grok-chatbot-antisemitic-posts-1235381165/

Here’s what Claude had to say about Grok https://claude.ai/chat/b4db2789-4804-4465-a640-3555ad02470f PDF of Claude’s reply attached, just in case.

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