Another Crazy Day in AI: The Great Re-Norming of Higher Education Technology
- Wowza Team
- Jun 11
- 4 min read
Hello, AI Enthusiasts.
We’re halfway there—how are you holding up?
As campuses step deeper into the generative era, a new report offers a grounded reminder: human connection still matters most. It shows that even as AI tools expand, students and educators continue to prioritize support, presence, and people-first learning.
Meanwhile... Disney and Universal are teaming up—not for a blockbuster, but to sue Midjourney. The studios say it’s copying iconic characters like Yoda and Buzz without permission.
And OpenAI just dropped an upgraded model built for complex tasks. It’s sharper in reasoning, but fair warning: it might run a little slower than the last.
Here's another crazy day in AI:
The limits of technology in college education
Studios slam Midjourney for copyright violations
OpenAI launches advanced o3-pro model
Some AI tools to try out
TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Higher Ed Values Human Touch Over High Tech
Image Credit: Wowza (created with Ideogram)
Are students and faculty choosing human connection over digital convenience in the age of generative technology?
A comprehensive new study from Tyton Partners reveals something unexpected happening in higher education: despite widespread adoption of generative tools, both students and faculty are increasingly gravitating toward face-to-face interaction and human-centered support. The research, featured by Ashley Mowreader in Inside Higher Ed, surveyed over 3,300 stakeholders across more than 900 U.S. colleges and universities to understand how institutions are navigating the balance between technological innovation and traditional pedagogical approaches.
Rather than a clear divide between digital tools and in-person support, the findings suggest a more nuanced reality:
Faculty are integrating generative AI into their workflow, particularly for administrative tasks and content preparation, yet many continue to value live instruction as essential to engagement.
Students report frequent use of AI for academic help, especially in writing and organization, while also seeking out more personalized, relationship-based support options.
Interest in services such as tutoring, advising, and mental health counseling is growing, especially those that emphasize direct human interaction.
Peer-to-peer support and staff-led initiatives are gaining traction, often filling gaps that digital tools can’t fully address.
Institutions are beginning to recognize that supporting students isn’t solely about adopting new technologies—it’s also about reinforcing access to people who understand the learning process.
The findings suggest we're witnessing something more complex than simple technology adoption or rejection. Students and faculty appear to be developing a sophisticated understanding of when digital tools serve them well and when human interaction proves irreplaceable. For quick answers and routine tasks, technology delivers efficiency. But for deeper understanding, emotional support, and navigating academic challenges, they consistently turn to other people. This pattern indicates that learning involves far more than information exchange—it requires the kind of responsive, empathetic interaction that emerges naturally in human relationships but remains difficult for even advanced technology to replicate.
What makes this research particularly valuable is how it challenges assumptions about digital natives and their relationship with technology. Rather than wholesale adoption or blanket resistance, we're seeing thoughtful discrimination in tool use. Students recognize that while generative AI might help them organize thoughts or generate initial drafts, working through confusion or building genuine mastery often requires the back-and-forth dialogue that happens in tutoring sessions, office hours, or study groups. Faculty, meanwhile, are discovering that sophisticated tools don't automatically reduce their teaching load—they often create new responsibilities around academic integrity, assessment design, and helping students learn to use these tools effectively. The data suggests that the future of higher education may not be about choosing between human connection and digital innovation, but about understanding how each serves different aspects of the learning experience.
Read the full article here.
Read the full report here.
OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:
Studios Slam Midjourney for Copyright Violations
/Blake Montgomery and agencies, on The Guardian
In a landmark case, Disney and Universal are suing Midjourney for alleged copyright infringement, accusing the AI image generator of replicating iconic characters like Yoda and Buzz Lightyear without permission. The studios claim Midjourney scraped and reused their content to train its model, calling the tool “a bottomless pit of plagiarism.” This marks one of the most aggressive legal challenges yet in the growing debate over generative AI and intellectual property. The case could set precedent for how copyright is enforced in the age of AI.
Read more here.
OpenAI Launches Advanced o3-pro Model
/Kyle Wiggers, AI Editor, on TechCrunch
OpenAI has launched o3-pro, its most advanced AI model yet, designed to improve on reasoning-heavy tasks like math, coding, and science. It replaces o1-pro for ChatGPT Pro and Team users, with stronger performance in benchmarks and enhanced capabilities like file analysis and visual input. However, it doesn’t support image generation or Canvas features and can be slower than earlier models. Still, reviewers rate it highest in clarity, accuracy, and instruction-following.
Read more here.
SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:
Scoop Analytics – Turn data into explainable insights and smart predictions.
AI Sheets – Use AI in spreadsheets to analyze, automate, and generate content.
Omakase – Add a chat or voice AI widget to your site to handle customer questions.
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.
Comments