AI in Education's Christmas Special: Hallucinations, Headbands, and Bad Ideas

In this end-of-year Christmas special, Ray and Dan squeeze in one final episode to reflect on a whirlwind year in AI and education - with a healthy dose of festive chaos.

They unpack the latest AI news, including Australia's National AI Plan, OpenAI's Australian data centre and teacher certification course, major university rollouts of ChatGPT, and global experiments like nationwide AI tools in schools and targeted funding for AI-assisted teaching.

But this episode quickly moves beyond policy and platforms into something more fun - and more unsettling! Ray challenges Dan with a "Real or Hallucinated?" quiz featuring AI products that may (or may not) exist, from focus-monitoring headbands and robot teachers to pet translators and laugh-track smart speakers.

Along the way, they explore what these products reveal about current AI practice, the risks of anthropomorphising technology, and why education must keep humans firmly at the centre of learning - even as experimentation accelerates.

It's a light-hearted but thoughtful way to wrap up 2025, and a reminder that just because AI can do something, doesn't always mean it should.

News Items in the episode

Tech companies advised to label and 'watermark' AI-generated content

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-01/ai-guidance-label-watermark-ai-content/106083786

El Salvador announces national AI program with Grok for Education

https://x.ai/news/el-salvador-partnership

Hong Kong schools to get HK$500,000 (about AU$100K/ US$65K) each under AI education plan

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3336600/hong-kong-schools-get-hk500000-each-under-hk500-million-ai-education-plan

OpenAI to open Australian hosted service

https://www.afr.com/technology/openai-becomes-major-tenant-in-7b-data-centre-deal-20251204-p5nkr4

OpenAI ChatGPT for Teachers foundations course

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chatgpt-for-education_new-for-k-12-educators-chatgpt-foundations-activity-7404242317718487042-He9H

La Trobe chooses ChatGPT Education

https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2025/release/openai-collaboration-drives-inclusion,-innovation

Australia's Nation AI Plan

https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/national-ai-plan

AI in Education's Christmas Special: Hallucinations, Headbands, and Bad Ideas

AI in Education Podcast