On Episode 572 of Teaching in Higher Ed, I welcome back Leon Furze—an international consultant, author, and speaker whose current PhD research explores the implications of generative artificial intelligence on writing instruction and education. Leon brings over fifteen years' experience across secondary and tertiary education in both teaching and leadership, along with ongoing board work and scholarship in educational transformation and student well-being. We explore the enduring power of myths and metaphors in shaping our collective discourse about generative AI. We discuss how narratives around AI, drawing from centuries-old mythologies and infused with language of magic and the sublime, both reinforce existing power structures and obscure important realities about the technology. Our conversation spans the dangers of reducing “AI literacy” to a checklist, the tensions between resisting and embracing new technologies, and the need for precise and transparent language as AI becomes more woven into daily life and education.

Resources from the episode:

• Myths, Magic, and Metaphors: The Language of Generative AI (Leon Furze)
• Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law (Wikipedia)
• Vincent Mosco – The Digital Sublime
• MagicSchool AI
• OECD’s Definition of AI Literacy
• PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment)
• NAPLAN (Australia’s National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy)
• Against AI literacy: have we actually found a way to reverse learning? by Miriam Reynoldson
• ChatGPT (OpenAI)
• CoPilot (Microsoft)
• Who Cares to Chat, by Audrey Watters (About Clippy)
• Clippy (Microsoft Office Assistant – Wikipedia)
• Gemini (Google AI)
• Be My Eyes Accessibility with GPT-4o
• Be My Eyes (Assistive Technology)
• Teaching AI Ethics – Leon Furze
• Black Box (Artificial Intelligence – Wikipedia)
• Snagit (TechSmith)
• Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses

Episode topics:

• Myths: Ancient Narratives and Modern AI
• Power Structures Reinforced by AI Myths
• Magic, the Sublime, and Techno-Utopian Hype
• AI Literacy: Problems with Standardization and Checklists
• Harms of Reductive Literacy and Assessment Approaches
• Critical AI Literacy: Beyond Functional Skills
• Trust, Anthromorphization, and Language in AI Use
• Subject Matter Expertise and Disciplinary Approaches to AI
• Rethinking Teaching Practices in an Age of Generative AI

Discussion questions:

1. Why does Leon express discomfort with the term “AI literacy,” and what alternative frameworks or terms might better capture the skills and understandings students need?
2. What are the dangers of reducing “AI literacy” to a standardized checklist or set of testable skills?
3. How does anthropomorphizing AI (assigning it human qualities or emotions) complicate our understanding and critical assessment of these technologies?
4. What role should educators play as subject matter experts in a world where generative AI tools are widely accessible to students?
5. How can educators encourage a healthy skepticism or critical approach to AI, balancing the need to experiment and use these tools with awareness of their limitations and biases?

Related Episodes

If you’re interested in more episodes about AI and how it is shaping higher education, there’s a dedicated AI page on the Teaching in Higher Ed website. While you’re there, check out the recommendations page. There you’ll find some wonderful books, ideas, music, and resources to explore.

Recommended

EDUCAUSE shared this short video on Libraries at Risk: Brewster Kahle on Ownership, Access, and Control. It explores: “Cyberattacks, licensing limitations, and platform dependence are reshaping how libraries function. Brewster Kahle provides some context around these challenges, and a path toward sustainable access through local control.”

Quotable Words

Brewster Kahle answers the question: What happens when libraries no longer own their collections?

Our libraries are turning into a Netflix of books, that these materials can blink on and offline all the time. The publishers can go and change what the written record is in all libraries, all at once. This makes no sense. This violates the basic structure of what libraries do, in terms of collecting, preserving, lending, and then interoperating with other libraries. We've ended up not owning anything. Anything.

Next Week’s Episode

On the upcoming episode of Teaching in Higher Ed, Tolu Noah shares about her new book: Designing and Facilitating Workshops with Intentionality: A Guide to Crafting Engaging Professional Learning Experiences in Higher Education.

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Affiliate income disclosure: Books that are recommended on the podcast link to the Teaching in Higher Ed bookstore on Bookshop.org. All affiliate income gets donated to the LibroMobile Arts Cooperative (LMAC), established in 2016 by Sara Rafael Garcia.”

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