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AI Insights for February 19, 2026

This message was originally shared to subscribers February 19, 2026.

AI at Work

Are you using generative AI to streamline tasks, save time or improve workflows at Syracuse University? We’re inviting faculty and staff to share real-world examples during AI at Work: Claude Success Stories on April 15 from 2-3:15 p.m. in 216 Marley and on Microsoft Teams. Interested in sharing how you use Claude at work? Email itscomm@syr.edu to share. Missed our AI at Work: Claude Skills session or want a refresher? The recording is now available!

This Issue’s Tip: Claude Projects vs. Skills

Not sure when to use a Project versus a Skill in Claude? You’re not alone. These two features might sound similar, but each one serves a distinct purpose—and knowing the difference can seriously level up how you work. Check out this quick breakdown to learn how to organize your work, streamline your workflows and get more out of Claude every day from our own AI Technology Transformation Specialist Shannon Glennon.

News and Views

In Summary

Faculty are moving from blanket bans to more nuanced, task-specific AI policies as they weigh skill development against automation. Universities are confronting new pressures around data governance and security, while AI-driven phishing heightens campus cyber risk. At the same time, long-running AI agents and unprecedented infrastructure investments signal deeper shifts in how work is organized, regulated and valued globally.

Education, Teaching and Learning

  • How Instructors Regulate AI in College: Evidence from 31,000 Course Syllabi (UC Berkeley)
  • The University, the Chatbot, and a Call for a New Mission for Higher Education (Educause Review)
  • When AI Meets Data: The Promise and the Pressure of Bringing AI into Higher Education Systems (Educause Review)
  • The Great Computer Science Exodus (And Where Students Are Going Instead) (Tech Crunch)
  • Best AI Tools for College Students: A Guide for Higher Ed (EdTech Magazine)
  • Researcher Examines Use of AI in Young Adults’ Romantic Lives (Syracuse University)
  • How AI-Driven Phishing Is Putting Schools at Risk (EdTech Magazine)
  • Gartner 2026 Technology Adoption Roadmap for Learning and Development (Gartner)

Big Picture Signals and Trends

Infrastructure, Investment and Industry Strategy

Models, Product Updates and Technical Advcances

  • Claude Has Been Having A Moment — Can It Keep It Up? (The Verge)
  • Anthropic Releases New AI, Hurting Financial Services Stocks (The Information)
  • Exclusive: Anthropic’s New Model Is A Pro At Finding Security Flaws (Axios)
  • Sabotage Risk Report: Claude Opus 4.6 (Anthropic)
  • Meet the One Woman Anthropic Trusts to Teach AI Morals (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Pentagon’s Use of Claude During Maduro Raid Sparks Anthropic Feud (Axios)
  • Long-Running AI Agents Are Here (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Personalization Features Can Make LLMs More Agreeable (MIT News)

    Policy, Governance and Global Competition

    • The Giant Super PACs Fighting Over A.I. Safety (The New York Times)
    • UN Approves 40-Member Scientific Panel On The Impact of AI Over US Objections (AP News)
    • Google Unveils $30 Million Science Fund and New India-US Subsea Connectivity Initiative (The Economic Times)

      Work, Labor and Workplace Culture

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

      This Issue’s Win: Redesign an Assignment for the AI Era

      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 teach a course in [DISCIPLINE] at the [UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE] level.
      One of my key assignments is: [BRIEFLY DESCRIBE ASSIGNMENT].

      Redesign this assignment for an AI-rich environment.

      Identify which parts students might outsource to AI.
      Suggest ways to preserve critical thinking and skill development.
      Propose how AI could be used productively (augmentation, not replacement).
      Keep the redesign practical and aligned with real-world workforce skills.“

      Helpful Resources

      Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

      Projects vs. Skills in Claude: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

      By: Shannon Glennon, AI Technology Transformation Specialist

      If you’ve been exploring Claude more in depth lately, you might have noticed two features that sound remarkably similar: Projects and Skills. They’re not the same thing—and understanding the difference can transform the way you use Claude.

      Put simply: use a Project to keep everything related to a subject in one place and use a Skill to make sure Claude always knows how you want things done.

      A Project is best understood as a dedicated file folder or storage system organized around a specific subject. Everything lives in one place—your uploaded documents, your instructions and your entire chat history related to that topic. Claude always has that context ready to go, so you’re never starting from scratch. For example, imagine you’re leading a campus-wide migration to a new Learning Management System. You could create a Project and load it with your migration timeline, training documentation, stakeholder communications and technical specs. Every conversation you have within that Project builds on what came before, like a running log your team can reference and refine throughout the rollout.

      A Skill, on the other hand, is a portable, reusable procedure that works everywhere—inside Projects, in regular chats, across your entire workflow. To create a Skill, simply write your instructions in a plain text document and upload it to Claude under Settings > Capabilities > Skills (no coding required). Not sure where to start? Toggle on the Skill Creator under Example Skills to help you build your first one. For example, you could create a Skill that teaches Claude to always format your communications using your department’s specific tone, ticket structure or approval language. Once built, that Skill activates automatically whenever it’s relevant.

      Put simply: use a Project to keep everything related to a subject in one place and use a Skill to make sure Claude always knows how you want things done. Two features, one more powerful AI experience.

      AI Insights for February 5, 2026

      This message was originally shared to subscribers February 5, 2026.

      AI at Work

      Curious how generative AI can actually help with your day-to-day work? Join us for our next AI at Work: Claude Skills, where we’ll explore practical ways to use Claude to boost productivity, streamline tasks, and support your work at Syracuse. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to level up, you’ll walk away with tips you can use right away.

      Feb. 11 | 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
      500 Hall of Languages or via Teams

      In This Issue

      AI is rapidly reshaping work, education and society, with adoption accelerating even as trust lags. Faculty feel overwhelmed, students quietly adapt to AI policing and employers increasingly expect AI fluency. Meanwhile, tech giants push into classrooms, expand AI “memory” and race ahead of clear norms—raising urgent questions about ethics, privacy, authorship and who gets to shape how AI is used.

      News and Views

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

      Education, Teaching and Learning

      Companies, Strategies and Power Plays

      • Anthropic Takes Aim at OpenAI’s ChatGPT in Super Bowl Ad Debut (The Wall Street Journal)
      • Anthropic CEO Says Government Should Help Ensure AI’s Economic Upside Is Shared (The Wall Street Journal)
      • Anthropic Publishes Claude’s “Constitution” (Anthropic)
      • Your Favorite Work Tools Are Now Interactive Inside Claude (Anthropic)
      • The New Era of Browsing: Putting Gemini to Work in Chrome (Google)
      • The AI Disruption in Software Is Here (Axios)

      Culture, Experiments and The Weird Stuff

      • Moltbook, A Social Network Where AI Agents Hang Together, May Be ‘The Most Interesting Place on the Internet’ (Fortune)
      • FOUR HUNDRED METERS on MARS (Anthropic)

      Ethics, Privacy and Human Limits

      Health and Science

      • AI Boosts Breast Cancer Detection While Halving Radiologist Workload, Major Study Finds (The Lancet)

      Policy, Governance and Global Risk

      • Congress Warns of Event-Driven AI Cyber Threats (PYMNTS)
      • Confronting and Overcoming the Risks of Powerful AI (Dario Amodei)
      • AI-Powered Disinformation Swarms Are Coming for Democracy (Wired)

        Work, Labor and Economic Impact

        • How Americans Are Using AI at Work, According to A New Gallup Poll (AP News)
        • Jim VandeHei’s Note to His Kids: Blunt AI Talk (Axios)
        • AI at Davos 2026: From Work Impact to Europe’s Place. Here’s What the Tech Leaders Hope and Fear (Euronews)

          This Issue’s Tip: Turn Meeting Transcripts Into Minutes, Summaries and Task Lists

          This quick guide walks you through using Claude to transform Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting transcripts into clear, actionable outputs. Whether you need formal meeting minutes, topic-based summaries, or just a clean list of action items, the Claude Meeting Transcripts Project has prompts ready to go — no prompt-writing required. It’s private, easy to use and a big time-saver for anyone who runs or attends a lot of meetings.

          This Issue’s Win: Make AI Your Thinking Partner

          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’m working on a project, decision, or communication related to higher education. Ask me 5–7 smart clarifying questions that will help me think more clearly, spot gaps, and improve the final outcome. Prioritize questions about audience, timing, risks, and what success looks like.“

          Helpful Resources

          Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

          Tech Tips: February 2026 Faculty/Staff Newsletters

          This message was originally shared to all faculty and staff via email on February 5, 2026.

          At a Glance

          Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

          Continue Reading

          Orange Online: February 2026 Student Newsletters

          This message was originally shared to all students via email on February 5, 2026.

          Orange Online at a Glance

          Each month, Information Technology Services provides tech tips for the Orange community. Pressed for time? Here are this edition’s topics:

          Phishing Alert

          A phishing email with the subject line “Syracuse University General Email Account Maintenance Update Act Now…” is circulating throughout the campus community. Stay alert and reach out to the IT Security team (infosec@syr.edu) with any questions or concerns. Learn More.

            AI at Work

            Join us for our next AI at Work session, Claude Skills, to explore how generative AI can support your daily work at Syracuse. Learn practical ways to use Claude to boost productivity and streamline tasks. Feb. 11, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in 500 Hall of Languages or via Teams. Register.

            Research Computing Resources for Undergraduates

            Undergraduates working on faculty research projects have access to Syracuse University’s research computing infrastructure, including our GPU clusters for machine learning and AI workloads. If you are part of a research team, you can get an account and tap into resources like 125,000+ CPU cores and 375+ GPUs. Get Started.

            Digital Accessibility Tip: Meaningful Reading Order in PowerPoint

            PowerPoint reads slide objects such as text boxes and images in the order they were added, not their visual layout, so screen readers may jump around illogically when reading to a user. To inspect reading order, go to Review > Check Accessibility > Reading Order Pane to display all objects and reorder them logically. Office Hours. 

            AI Insights

            Explore the latest in artificial intelligence with AI Insights, the newsletter for all things AI. Whether you’re looking to enhance your work with smart tools or simply stay informed, each issue brings you news from higher ed and the tech world and weekly AI tips. Newsletter. 

            Tech Tips Weekly

            Stay connected and ahead with Tech Tips Weekly—for quick, practical advice to make the most of campus technology. Each week, our new newsletter delivers easy-to-follow how-tos, timely service updates and insider looks at the newest features, tools and resources. Subscribe. 

            Helpful Resources

            ITS and the campuswide information technology community are available year-round to help with your tech questions. Resources include:

            Thank you for reading. Go Orange!