- Nov 28, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 1, 2025
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
Hope your Thanksgiving went well — whether you spent it cooking, traveling, or defending your favorite side dish. If you’re easing back into things (or still working through leftovers), here’s a little weekend food for thought.
A recent podcast explored CampusLens, a tool that shows how predictive AI can help advisers support students without magic or guesswork. It’s all about spotting patterns early so students get the guidance they actually need.
And if you’re staring at a fridge full of leftovers, A writer from CNET shared how ChatGPT can turn them into creative meals in minutes, no recipe panic required!
Meanwhile, Amazon’s Alexa Plus is stepping up its game, learning to have more natural, context-aware conversations so your smart speaker might finally feel… smart.
Take a break and savor the weekend.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
How colleges use data to help learners
AI joins the holiday shopping frenzy
What to know about Amazon’s Alexa+ upgrade
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Inside a College's Decision on Analytics Tools
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
What if the biggest obstacle to helping students succeed isn't a lack of data, but having too much of it scattered across systems that don't talk to each other?
In a recent episode of Voices of Student Success, Inside Higher Ed reporter and host Ashley Mowreader talks with Tracy Hartzler, president of Central New Mexico Community College, about the school's decision to adopt CampusLens, a predictive data tool designed to help advisers and faculty better understand student patterns and program outcomes. Their conversation looks at how community colleges manage large amounts of data, the pressures of serving diverse learners, and the practical realities of bringing new tools into long-standing systems.
The conversation touches on:
CNM currently uses seven legacy systems and over 100 applications just to generate reports, which creates delays when staff need information to help students
The college is exploring whether predictive analytics can flag students who might benefit from early intervention
Career Lens tracks wage outcomes for graduates and helps determine which programs meet Workforce Pell eligibility requirements
Hartzler weighs the costs of adding features to multiple existing systems versus implementing one comprehensive tool
Teams across the institution spent five to six months evaluating the decision before moving forward
The college created a pilot fund where staff can propose three-month projects to test different uses of the technology
CNM's governing board asks whether technology investments actually improve outcomes for students and the community
Hartzler is straightforward about what this process actually looks like on the ground. She mentions the financial commitment involved, the training that staff will need, and how easy it is to just move old workflows onto new platforms without really changing anything. There's also the fact that people who've developed expertise around existing systems might worry about where they fit when everything changes. Her team took months to evaluate this decision, which suggests they understand the stakes. What stands out is how she frames the core problem: advisers checking multiple systems to get basic information about one student, faculty manually pulling together data that could inform their teaching, and everyone spending time on administrative tasks instead of actually working with students.
The episode gets at something many colleges are dealing with right now. Having data and being able to use it effectively are two different things. Hartzler points out that staying with systems that exhaust staff and leave students without timely support has its own set of consequences. Whether predictive analytics tools end up being helpful will likely vary depending on each institution's infrastructure, resources, and willingness to reconsider how things have always been done. But the questions about making information accessible to the people who need it, and doing so in ways that don't add to everyone's workload, are ones that a lot of campuses are asking themselves.
Read the full article here.
Listen on Spotify here.
Watch on YouTube here.
Listen on Apple Podcasts here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
AI Shows How to Repurpose Your Holiday Leftovers
/Amanda Smith, Freelance Journalist and Writer, Contributor, on CNET
If your fridge is overflowing with Thanksgiving leftovers, AI can help turn the chaos into new meals. CNET’s Amanda Smith walks through how ChatGPT can suggest recipes based on whatever ingredients you list—whether that’s takeout extras, pantry stragglers, or half-used produce. By prompting the chatbot with preferences, substitutions, and dietary needs, users can refine dishes until they land on something they actually want to make. It’s a simple way to reduce waste, spark creativity, and get more mileage out of the holiday feast.
Read more here.
What to Know About Amazon’s Alexa+ Upgrade
/Deirdre Bosa, TechCheck Anchor, on CNBC Television
CNBC’s Deirdre Bosa breaks down Amazon’s latest AI push with Alexa Plus, a more conversational version of Alexa designed to understand context and respond more naturally. While Amazon leads the U.S. smart speaker market, the company is under pressure to prove it can translate its massive device footprint into meaningful AI progress. Alexa Plus is Amazon’s chance to reposition itself as a true player in consumer AI, but early access testers are finding the assistant promising yet still inconsistent. The holiday season will be a critical moment to see whether Amazon’s upgraded AI can meet consumer expectations—and whether it can close the gap with competitors like Google.
Check it out here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
Momen – Turn your Lovable prototype into a real app with AI without any coding.
Touchpoint – Create branded, designer-quality email templates with AI easily.
Twigg – Organize AI conversations as a visual tree to branch ideas and maintain context.
That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.
Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉
EXCITING NEWS:
The Another Crazy Day in AI newsletter is on LinkedIn!!!
Leveraging AI for Enhanced Content: As part of our commitment to exploring new technologies, we used AI to help curate and refine our newsletters. This enriches our content and keeps us at the forefront of digital innovation, ensuring you stay informed with the latest trends and developments.
