AI Insights for September 18, 2025

This message was originally shared to subscribers September 18, 2025.

AI at Work Returns Oct. 9

Join Information Technology Services for AI at Work on Oct. 9 from 1–2:30 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium (and via Microsoft Teams). This timely discussion will explore the safe, ethical and effective use of generative AI in the workplace and classroom. Speakers will include Associate Professor Johannes Himmelreich of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, along with representatives from ITS and Deloitte.

In This Issue

This edition’s articles look at how automation is reshaping the job market, how educators are racing to build AI literacy, and how trillion-dollar investments are fueling new tools and corporate rivalries. Policymakers are stepping in too, with fresh inquiries into chatbots, new transparency bills, and global pushes for technological dominance. Alongside the hype, researchers are uncovering stubborn flaws like hallucinations, and ethical questions are surfacing in unexpected places like therapy sessions.

News and Views

Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

Academia and Education

  • We’re Entering a New Phase of AI in Schools. How Are States Responding? (EducationWeek)
  • Thinking Big, Starting Small: Insights from a Summit on AI Adoption in Higher Education (Educause Review)
  • BNY and Carnegie Mellon University Join Forces To Advance AI Education and Research (Carnegie Melon University)
  • Major Organizations Commit to Supporting AI Education (The White House)

Media, Publishing and Content Regulation

Policy, Ethics and Governance

  • First Lady Melania Trump: Presidential AI Challenge (The White House)
  • We’re Getting the Argument About AI’s Environmental Impact All Wrong (Transformer)
  • Albania Appoints World’s First AI-Made Minister (Politico)
  • President Trump, Tech Leaders Unite to Power American AI Dominance (The White House)

Science and Society

Tech Industry and Market Moves

Tools, Research and Capabilities

  • The Rise of the AI Influencer (Financial Times)
  • Why Language Models Hallucinate (OpenAI)
  • Why We Don’t Believe MIT NANDA’s Weird AI Study (Futuriom)
  • How People Use ChatGPT (OpenAI)
  • OpenAI is Building a ChatGPT for Teens (OpenAI)
  • Anthropic’s Claude is Getting Better at Building Itself, Amodei Says (Axios)
  • How Do AI Models Generate Videos? (MIT Technology Review)
  • New AI Research Roundup: Chatbots, Fairness, and More (Rest of World)
  • The Latest AI News we Announced in August (Google)

This Issue’s Tip: Ask AI to Compare Options, Not Just Generate Ideas

Most people ask AI for lists — “Give me 10 paper topics” or “Suggest some marketing strategies.” That’s a great start, but the real power comes when you push a step further: ask AI to weigh the trade-offs. For example: “Compare the pros and cons of these three project ideas if I only have two weeks to complete one.”

This shifts AI from being just a brainstorming partner to acting like a decision-support tool. You’ll get a clearer sense of strengths, weaknesses, and feasibility — helping you move from too many choices to a more confident decision.

This Issue’s Prompt: Everyday AI Upgrade

A prompt is how you ask generative AI tools to do something for you (e.g., creating, summarizing, editing or transforming). Treat it like a conversation, using clear language and enough context to get the result you have in mind.

To get more practice, use the generative AI tool of your choice (for example, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude) to execute the following prompt:

“Take one everyday task I do regularly (like planning meals, organizing meetings, or managing deadlines) and suggest three creative ways AI could make it easier, faster, or more enjoyable — including at least one idea I probably haven’t thought of before.”

Helpful Resources

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!