AI Insights for August 21, 2025

This message was originally shared to subscribers August 21, 2025.

Welcome to another edition of AI Insights from ITS at Syracuse University!

There’s a lot to catch up on: GPT-5 landed in Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT rolled out Study Mode and Perplexity AI shocked everyone with a $34.5 billion Chrome bid. Students are embracing ChatGPT for personal essays while universities explore AI for mental health support. Corporate America presents a fascinating paradox: billions invested in AI, yet many still await real returns. Gen Z leads AI adoption despite ongoing privacy concerns, while regulatory developments and Hinton’s superintelligence warnings keep us all thinking. Read more below—and yes, there will be a quiz!

How are you incorporating AI into your work? Share your experiences with us!

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

Arts and Entertainment

  • How AI is changing the music business (WBUR)
  • AI-generated models shake up the fashion industry and raise concerns (PBS)
  • Amazon’s Alexa Fund Invests in ‘Netflix of AI’ Start-Up Fable, Which Launches Showrunner: A Tool for User-Directed TV Shows (Variety)

Policy, Ethics and Governance

  • Scaling Intelligence: The Exponential Growth of AI’s Power Needs (EPRI)
  • The ‘godfather of AI’ reveals the only way humanity can survive superintelligent AI (CNN)
  • Trump AI Action Plan: Short on Action (EDUCAUSE)
  • Generative AI’s privacy problem (Axios)

Research and Science

  • How AI could speed the development of RNA vaccines and other RNA therapies (MIT)
  • Using generative AI, researchers design compounds that can kill drug-resistant bacteria (MIT)
  • A new way to test how well AI systems classify text (MIT)

Tech Industry and Market Moves

  • Perplexity Makes Longshot $34.5 Billion Offer for Chrome (Wall Street Journal)
  • Nvidia, AMD may sell high-end AI chips to China if they pay US a cut (TechCrunch)

Tools, Research and Capabilities

  • Google’s AI Pro plan for free now. Here’s how. (ZDNET)
  • Google Launches Free AI Training & Tools (Google)
  • GPT-5 Available in Microsoft 365 Copilot (Microsoft)
  • Claude AI Can Now End Conversations It Deems Harmful or Abusive (CNET)

Work and the Workforce

  • Young workers lead the way in AI learning, survey shows (HR Dive)
  • AI Is Forcing the Return of the In-Person Job Interview (Wall Street Journal)
  • Companies Are Pouring Billions Into A.I. It Has Yet to Pay Off. (New York Times)
  • C.E.O.s Want Their Companies to Adopt A.I. But Do They Get It Themselves? (New York Times)
  • 21 Ways People Are Using A.I. at Work (New York Times)

    This Issue’s Tip: Tools Available to Faculty, Staff, and Students

    ITS is excited to help you incorporate generative AI into your day-to-day. With that in mind, remember that you can log in to Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini using your University credentials:

    • Microsoft Copilot is now powered by OpenAI’s latest GPT-5 model (the same model that powers ChatGPT). Visit m365.cloud.microsoft/chat and log in with your University email address and password to start exploring. Be sure to click “Try GPT-5” in the upper-right corner.
    • Google Gemini (gemini.google.com) also is available, including access to Google’s 2.5 Pro Model featuring guided learning, a canvas editor and image generation. In addition, you can try NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research and writing assistant. Use your netid@g.syr.edu credentials when logging in.

    This Issue’s Prompt: Planning an Event

    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:

    “I need to plan [describe event: faculty mixer/student orientation/department meeting] for early fall. The event should accommodate [number] people, have a budget of approximately $[amount], and achieve these goals: [list 2-3 objectives]. Generate a planning timeline, suggest 3 venue options on the Syracuse University campus, create a supply list, and draft an invitation email. Also anticipate potential challenges and suggest solutions.”

    Helpful Resources

    Thank you for reading. Go Orange!