AI Insights for September 4, 2025

This message was originally shared to subscribers September 4, 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 include Associate Professor Johannes Himmelreich of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, along with representatives from ITS and Deloitte. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how AI is shaping the future of higher education and professional practice.

In This Issue

AI is shaking things up everywhere — from the jobs young people are landing (or losing) to the way professors teach and students write. In this issue, we dive into billion-dollar bets, high-stakes lawsuits and the surprising truth that most companies have seen little payoff from their initial AI investments. You’ll also find stories on new laws, big energy costs and fresh guardrails for mental health. It’s a snapshot of AI’s promise, pitfalls and the big questions shaping our future.

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

Media, Publishing and Content Regulation

  • Amy Klobuchar: What I Didn’t Say About Sydney Sweeney (The New York Times)
  • Trusted News Sites May Benefit In an Internet Full of AI-Generated Fakes, a New Study Finds (NiemanLab)
  • Anthropic Settles High-Profile AI Copyright Lawsuit Brought by Book Authors (Wired)

Policy, Ethics and Governance

  • AI Writing Disclosures Are a Joke, Here’s How to Improve Them (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
  • States Have Introduced 260 AI-Related Bills So Far This Year Despite Federal Opposition (PYMNTS)
  • We Must Build AI for People; Not to Be a Person (Mustafa Suleyman)
  • First Lady Melania Trump Will Head Effort to Teach Next Generation About AI (New York Post)
  • Anthropic and OpenAI Evaluate Safety of Each Other’s AI Models (PYMNTS)
  • Anthropic Warns of ‘Sophisticated’ Cybercrime Via Claude LLM (PYMNTS)
  • Call Me A Jerk: Persuading AI to Comply with Objectionable Requests (The University of Pennsylvania)

Science and Society

  • How AI is Impacting 700 Professions — and Might Impact Yours (The Washington Post)
  • There Is Now Clearer Evidence AI Is Wrecking Young Americans’ Job Prospects (The Wall Street Journal)
  • A Teen Was Suicidal. ChatGPT Was the Friend He Confided In (The New York Times)
  • Canaries in the Coal Mine? Six Facts about the Recent Employment Effects of Artificial Intelligence (Stanford University)
  • ChatGPT & Teen Mental Health (Axios)

Tech Industry and Market Moves

  • MIT Study Finds 95% of Organizations Studied Get Zero Return on Their AI Pilot Projects (Axios)
  • NFL and Microsoft Expand Partnership to Bring Copilot to the Sidelines and Beyond (Microsoft)
  • Perplexity Launches Subscription Tier for ‘Premium Content’ (PYMNTS)
  • How the NFL Is Leveling Up With AI for Game Day and Beyond (PYMNTS)
  • Microsoft Releases Two In House Models (Microsoft)
  • Anthropic Raises $13B Series F at $183B Post-Money Valuation (Anthropic)
  • WIRED Roundup: Meta’s AI Brain Drain (Wired)

Tools, Research and Capabilities

  • Google Shares How Much Energy is Used for New Gemini AI Prompts (Axios)
  • Building More Helpful ChatGPT Experiences for Everyone (OpenAI)

This Issue’s Tip: Ask Ai to Be Your “First Draft Partner” 

When you’re starting a project — whether it’s drafting an email, designing a syllabus, outlining a report or even planning a family trip — the hardest part is often staring at the blank page. Instead of waiting for inspiration, try asking an AI tool to give you a rough first draft. You don’t need to use it word-for-word, but having something to react to can save you time, spark new ideas and help you organize your thoughts.

Many people are discovering that AI is most powerful not when it gives the final answer, but when it jumpstarts your creativity.

This Issue’s Prompt: Multi-Layered Summarizer

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 this article (paste text or link) and give me three versions of a summary: A headline-style, one-sentence summary for quick scanning, a short paragraph summary (4–5 sentences) that captures the main argument or findings and a bulleted list of the 5–7 most important details, facts, or takeaways.”

Helpful Resources

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!