Uploaded November 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
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CHALLENGES & GOALS
Challenges such as the rapid evolution of AI and its implications for education, concerns about AI replacing human roles, privacy issues, and ethical considerations.
The primary goals identified include helping educators keep pace with these changes, understand their implications, and adapt teaching practices accordingly. There's also a shared goal to make sense of these developments collectively due to their rapid evolution.
SURPRISING TAKEAWAYS
Stella initially expressed skepticism towards generative AI imagery creation programs due to their limitations in capturing human creativity but later acknowledged the potential utility for beginners or those experiencing creative blocks to help work through Blank Canvas Syndrome.
Despite initial fears around AI replacing educators' roles, we believe that educators will be needed more than ever before because critical thinking skills are necessary for effective interaction with AI tools.
EMERGING PATTERNS
A need for resources, templates, guidelines, policies, and frameworks to aid educators in understanding and implementing AI within their teaching practices.
An emerging interest in cross-pollinating knowledge across different sectors to gain diverse perspectives.
Themes surrounding trust in technology versus humans, the impact of AI on society at large, and being critical towards hyped-up promises made by AI vendors.
KEY MOMENTS
"I think perhaps it might even highlight that our creativity is really unique."
"AI can only regurgitate what's already existing."
"Yes, it's great usage for training in art school… but at the end of the day, I think perhaps it might even highlight that our creativity is really unique."
"We will need to start pushing the limits because otherwise generate generative A I is only gonna keep feeding you the same thing."
"It's not incorporating life experiences; it's not incorporating emotions."
"Is AI shaping the way we learn and teach or are we as educators actively using our skills and brains to shape AI?
Apple Podcast – Find this episode and all the previous episodes on Apple Podcast
Spotify – Find this episode and previous episodes of the show on Spotify!
YouTube –
CHALLENGES & GOALS
Challenges such as the rapid evolution of AI and its implications for education, concerns about AI replacing human roles, privacy issues, and ethical considerations.
The primary goals identified include helping educators keep pace with these changes, understand their implications, and adapt teaching practices accordingly. There's also a shared goal to make sense of these developments collectively due to their rapid evolution.
SURPRISING TAKEAWAYS
Stella initially expressed skepticism towards generative AI imagery creation programs due to their limitations in capturing human creativity but later acknowledged the potential utility for beginners or those experiencing creative blocks to help work through Blank Canvas Syndrome.
Despite initial fears around AI replacing educators' roles, we believe that educators will be needed more than ever before because critical thinking skills are necessary for effective interaction with AI tools.
EMERGING PATTERNS
A need for resources, templates, guidelines, policies, and frameworks to aid educators in understanding and implementing AI within their teaching practices.
An emerging interest in cross-pollinating knowledge across different sectors to gain diverse perspectives.
Themes surrounding trust in technology versus humans, the impact of AI on society at large, and being critical towards hyped-up promises made by AI vendors.
KEY MOMENTS
"I think perhaps it might even highlight that our creativity is really unique."
"AI can only regurgitate what's already existing."
"Yes, it's great usage for training in art school… but at the end of the day, I think perhaps it might even highlight that our creativity is really unique."
"We will need to start pushing the limits because otherwise generate generative A I is only gonna keep feeding you the same thing."
"It's not incorporating life experiences; it's not incorporating emotions."
"Is AI shaping the way we learn and teach or are we as educators actively using our skills and brains to shape AI?



![Design Thinking as Play: Exploring Innovation with NASA
Stephen Smith from NASAs Johnson Space Center discusses NASAs missions, from Mercury to Artemis, and the goal of establishing a long-term presence on the moon to prepare for a future mission to Mars. He emphasizes the importance of play, imagination, and innovation in NASAs work and highlights the technologies developed for space that benefit life on Earth. The video also explores a design thinking session focused on creating a functional fitness device for astronauts to mitigate atrophy in low-gravity environments.
Timestamps:
Introduction to Stephen Smith and NASA: [00:00:00]
Sparks of Wonder: NASAs Missions and Philosophy: [00:05:38]
Q&A: Mars Mission, Benefits of Space Exploration, and Lunar Resources: [00:15:42]
Mission Briefing: Functional Fitness for Astronauts: [00:26:30]
Initial Solution Pitches and Feedback: [00:45:40]
Final Solution Pitches and Feedback: [00:52:48]
Final Thoughts and Advice: [01:15:35] Design Thinking as Play: Exploring Innovation with NASA](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L1qUqDqhZdM/mqdefault.jpg)


![221: Evolving Beyond the Hype: AI, Humanity, and the Cost of Progress
In this episode I reconnect with two brilliant minds who helped me and many others make sense of what it means to learn, create, and live in an AI-driven world. Dr. Jessica Parker and Dr. Kimberly Becker return to the show to reflect on what’s changed since our first conversation about writing, bravery, and the process of living.
Together, we explore what happens after the hype: what they learned from building and closing their startup Moxie, how their thinking about AI and education has evolved, and why they now approach technology with more skepticism, more curiosity, and more humanity.
This is a conversation about slowing down, asking better questions, and remembering that writing is thinking and that no algorithm can replace that process.
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All platforms & past episodes: https://coffeeforthebrain.com/podcasts/
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Episode Highlights
Revisiting Moxie and how closing it deepened their understanding of AI, ethics, and learning
The balance between innovation and honesty when your business depends on what you critique
How technical knowledge led them from excitement to skepticism
Moxie “AI Sandwich” workflow and how to use AI to brainstorm and refine while keeping the human in the middle
Kimberly’s story of watching her husband evolve from using AI for tests to using it to write creative scripts for science students
The hidden costs of AI tokens, data, energy, attention, and what it means to “pay the real price”
Why the most valuable outcomes of AI may be emotional: motivation, reassurance, and calm
Rethinking productivity: what if being “more efficient” isn’t the goal?
Quotes
On understanding AI as novice vs. expert
....you cant think critically about something unless you are already an expert, unless you have some level of expertise. There came a point where we were experts enough to see… to think critically enough to say, oh, whoa, wait, hold up, hold up.
What is it worth to you?
....what would I be willing to pay if I had to pay the true cost of this? Because right now, our use of AI is fully subsidized by venture capital and these big tech companies. But if you had to pay the full cost of what that interaction was, if its $75, would you pay for it?
Power of Choice
....what are you saying no, and what are you saying yes to? And not just in terms of financial, but all resources. Time, energy, serenity. I think about serenity as a resource for me, because I need to refill my cup. I cannot just be a yes girl, because I somehow ended up one.....what are you willing to pay for in all the different ways we pay for things, and are you saying yes to too many things?
Mirage of Productivity to Save Time
And its just crazy to think that this is gonna give us more time, and were gonna be more productive and more efficient. No, youre just gonna get a new task......this mirage of well reach so much productivity that well have a leisure class, itll be a four-day work week. Its never happened, and what do you know? Its not going to happen, because that is not the culture and the system that we are in, which prioritizes growth at all costs, no matter what.
Resources
Episode 207: The Importance of Good Writing, Curiosity, Bravery, and the Process of Living
Practical AI for Educators PD for Higher Education Session 3 Breakout With Kimberly
Jessica on LinkedIn
Kimberly on LinkedIn
Link: AI Sandwich Graphic by Moxie
Book: Empire of AI
Substack: Women Writin Bout AI
Podcast: Women Talkin Bout AI
Support the Show
If this conversation helped you pause, reflect, or think differently about AI and learning, please share it with a colleague or friend. Leaving a review or tagging the show helps others discover these important conversations. 221: Evolving Beyond the Hype: AI, Humanity, and the Cost of Progress](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LtDqi6L0x3Y/mqdefault.jpg)



