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AI Insights for January 22, 2026

This message was originally shared to subscribers January 22, 2026.

Feedback Wanted

Thanks to everyone who’s already filled out our reader survey! If you haven’t had a chance yet, we’d still love to hear from you. Your feedback helps us create content that’s actually useful to you. This short survey takes about 5 minutes. Thank you for being a reader of AI Insights!

In This Issue

AI is everywhere, but the rollout is messy. In higher ed, nearly everyone is using AI, yet many employees still don’t know the rules. Workers say AI is saving them serious time, but training and support remain uneven. In classrooms, educators are balancing innovation with fears about critical thinking and shortcuts. Meanwhile, public trust lags, Europe is racing for AI independence, and governments are pushing robotics forward fast.

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

Coding, Engineering and Developer Productivity

Media and Advertising

    Policy, Geopolitics and “Sovereign AI”

    Tools, Models and Product Updates

    Tech Trends and What’s Next

    Work, Jobs and The Economy

    • AI Will Transform the Human Job and Enhance Skills, Says Science Minister (The Guardian)
    • Workers Use Time Saved by AI to Improve Their Roles, Indeed Finds (HR Dive)
    • Economic Report Shows AI Working Alongside Employees, Not Replacing Them (Anthropic)
    • Data Shows AI ‘Disconnect’ in Higher Ed Workforce (Inside Higher Ed)
    • More Than 60% of US Adults Now Start New Tasks With AI (PYMNTS)
    • McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels Says the Firm Now Has 60,000 Employees: 25,000 of Them Are AI Agents (MSN)

      This Issue’s Tip: Claude Prompt Creator

      Creating a strong AI prompt doesn’t have to be complicated. Syracuse University’s AI Prompt Creator is a guided conversational assistant that helps you design comprehensive, high-quality prompts for AI agents on the Syracuse platform. It walks you through a structured process to define your agent’s behavior, personality, and capabilities—one question at a time—so you’re never overwhelmed. You’ll get helpful examples when needed, the chance to refine as you go, and built-in alignment with best practices and ethical guidelines.

      This Issue’s Win: AI Time Dividend Plan

      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 want to use AI to create real value, not just do tasks faster.

      Step 1: Ask me 5 questions to identify the ONE part of my work that feels repetitive, unclear, or draining.

      Step 2: Turn my answers into:

      • a “before vs. after” workflow (what I do now vs. what AI can help with)
      • a reusable prompt pack (5 prompts I can copy/paste weekly)
      • a 10-minute daily AI routine that saves time without lowering quality

      Step 3: Add a “trust layer” checklist I must follow every time:

      • what I should never paste into AI
      • how to verify outputs fast
      • how to cite or disclose AI help when appropriate

      Keep it practical, simple, and tailored to my role.“

      Helpful Resources

      Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

      AI Insights for January 8, 2026

      This message was originally shared to subscribers January 8, 2026.

      Dear Reader

      Thank you for being a reader of AI Insights!

      We’ve just reached our one-year anniversary, and we’d love your feedback to help shape the future of the newsletter. This short survey should take about 5 minutes, and your responses will directly inform what we publish next.

      In This Issue

      This week’s AI headlines reveal a technology reshaping nearly every corner of society. Leaders and investors are betting big—despite warnings of financial risk—while governments race to loosen or redefine regulation. Schools and workplaces are adapting fast, grappling with trust, skills and integrity. Together, these stories show AI accelerating ahead, with consequences institutions can no longer ignore.

      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

      Big Tech, Power and Leadership

      • The Architects of AI Are TIME’s 2025 Person of the Year (Time)
      • Satya Nadella Just Shared His 2026 Outlook (sn scratchpad)

      Health and Science

      • 40M+ People Use ChatGPT Daily for Health Advice (OpenAI)
      • Stanford AI Predicts 130 Diseases from a Night’s Sleep (Nature Medicine)

      Industry, Markets and Economy

      • Something Ominous Is Happening in the AI Economy (The Atlantic)
      • Wall Street Is Shaking Off Fears of an A.I. Bubble. For Now. (The New York Times)
      • How Tech’s Biggest Companies Are Offloading the Risks of the A.I. Boom (The New York Times)
      • AI Exuberance: Economic Upside, Stock Market Downside (Vanguard)

      Media, Measurement and Meta

      Policy, Regulation and Government

      • Coalition of 42 Attorneys General in Letter to A.I. Software Companies (Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General)
      • House Democrats Establish AI Working Group as Industry Bolsters DC Presence (CNBC)
      • President Trump Last Night Signed an Executive Order to Override State AI Laws (White House)
      • The White House Unveiled a New AI-Focused “Tech Force” (Tech Force)
      • Hochul Reaches Deal on A.I. Regulation in New York (The New York Times)

      Quality, Safety and Technical Reality

      • AI-Authored Code Contains Worse Bugs Than Software Crafted by Humans (The Register)
      • I Ran a Chatbot Fight Club for a Year. Here’s What Won. (The Washington Post)

      Society and Culture

      Work and the Future of Jobs

      • How Workers Will Adapt in the AI Era (Time)
      • Employers Encourage AI at Work, With or Without Guardrails (PYMNTS)
      • Nadella’s Message to Microsoft Execs: Get on Board with the AI Grind or Get Out (Business Insider)
      • CEOs Are All-In on AI (The Wall Street Journal)

        This Issue’s Tip: Claude Resources

        Whether you’re just getting started with Claude Enterprise or looking to level up your AI skills, we’ve gathered everything you need in one place. Our Claude resources page features step-by-step guides for accessing your account, practical prompting tips to get better results and real-world examples for both academic and everyday tasks. From summarizing meeting transcripts to planning your next vacation, discover how Claude can support your work, studies and personal projects.

        New to AI? No problem—our resources are designed to meet you wherever you are in your Claude journey.

        This Issue’s Win: Turn Your New Year’s Resolution into a 30-Day Action Plan

        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 want to learn [skill/topic] this year, but I only have 20 minutes a day. Create a 30-day learning plan with daily bite-sized lessons. Then, explain the first concept to me like I’m a complete beginner, give me a practical exercise to try today, recommend 3 free resources to explore, and help me create accountability checkpoints so I actually stick with it.“

        Helpful Resources

        Thank you for reading. Go Orange!

        Spring 2026 Events

        Throughout the Spring 2026 semester, ITS hosted hybrid and online workshops and discussions focused on a range of technology-related topics, including generative AI, Microsoft 365 apps, and more. 

        Recordings

        Tech Topics: Microsoft Teams and OneDrive (Jan. 29, 2026)

        AI at Work: Claude Skills (Feb. 11, 2026)

        Tech Topics: Digital Accessibility (March 19, 2026)

        AI at Work: Claude Success Stories (March 25, 2026)

        AI at Work: Claude Code (April 15, 2026)

        Claude Resources

        Syracuse University faculty, staff, and students now have access to Claude Enterprise, an advanced AI assistant from Anthropic. Claude can help you draft and refine content, analyze information, brainstorm ideas and tackle complex tasks – all while keeping your data secure and private. Whether you’re new to AI tools or looking to deepen your skills, this page has everything you need to get started and make the most of Claude in your daily work.

        AI Insights for December 11, 2025

        This message was originally shared to subscribers December 11, 2025.

        AI at Work

        If you missed it, our latest AI at Work session took place on Dec. 10, where we expanded on November’s discussion and explored how Claude Enterprise can support faculty, staff, and students. A full video recording is now available on our website for you to watch anytime.

        In This Issue

        AI is accelerating across education, industry and society, reshaping classrooms, redefining workforce skills and widening gaps in public trust. Colleges are adapting unevenly as faculty balance innovation, integrity and student expectations, while new research highlights global divides in AI optimism and adoption. Meanwhile, enterprises race to integrate AI at scale, even as concerns about job disruption, transparency and responsible use grow.

        News and Views

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

        Education

        • Educators Will “Never Be Able to Detect” the Use of AI in Homework (Andrej Karpathy)
        • How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping College for Students and Professors (PBS)
        • College Students Flock to a New Major: A.I. (The New York Times)
        • I’m a Professor. A.I. Has Changed My Classroom, but Not for the Worse (The New York Times)
        • Colleges Risk Getting it Backwards on AI and They May be Hurting Gen Z Job Searchers (Fortune)
        • Reflections and Considerations for the Next Chapter of AI in Higher Education (Educause Review)

        Industry, Investment and Technology

        • ‘It’s Going Much Too Fast’: The Inside Story of the Race to Create the Ultimate AI (The Guardian)
        • How AI is Transforming Work at Anthropic (Anthropic)
        • OpenAI: The State of Enterprise AI (OpenAI)
        • Introducing Shopping Research in ChatGPT (OpenAI)
        • Adobe Integrates With ChatGPT (The Wall Street Journal)

        Policy, Ethics and Safety

        • Behind the Curtain: Trump Bets Party, Presidency on AI (Axios)
        • How Trump’s U-Turn on Nvidia Chips Changes the Game for China’s AI (The Wall Street Journal)
        • Panel Weighs New Guardrails for AI Chatbots as Concerns Mount Over Child Safety (Broadband Breakfast)
        • AI Poses Unprecedented Threats. Congress Must Act Now (The Guardian)
        • AI Hackers Are Coming Dangerously Close to Beating Humans (The Wall Street Journal)

        Society and Daily Life

        Workforce and Business Impact

        • Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model (Financial Times)

          This Issue’s Tip: Step-by-Step Claude Projects Video

          For a quick look at how Projects can streamline your work, start with our new Claude Projects tutorial video, which walks through the basics and shares tips for great results.

          Then dive into our step-by-step guide to Projects, a powerful way to organize ongoing work, save time, and build repeatable AI-supported workflows. The guide walks you through everything from setting up Projects and shaping prompts to connecting Microsoft 365 files and reusing artifacts.

          This Issue’s Win: Using Claude to Streamline Alumni Survey Analysis

          Kim Infanti ’06, G’16, executive director in the Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, decided to analyze 300+ pages of free-text responses from Syracuse University’s 2019 all-alumni survey, a task that would have taken days (if not weeks) of manual review. Using Claude, she uploaded the entire document and requested a comprehensive synthesis including key themes, positive/negative feedback, trends and actionable recommendations. In 22 seconds, Claude produced an organized executive summary with clear priorities for what the office should start, stop and continue doing. This AI-powered analysis transformed an overwhelming dataset into strategic insights, saving significant staff time while ensuring Alumni and Constituent Engagement didn’t miss critical alumni feedback patterns. 

          Helpful Resources

          Thank you for reading. Go Orange!