Rewind: How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education

Rewind: How AI is fueling an existential crisis in education

Author: The Verge May 7, 2026 Duration: 42:05
Hey, everyone, Nilay here. We’re off today, while the team and I are cooking on a lot of really great stuff in the coming weeks. We’ll be back with an all-new interview on Monday.  In the meantime, we really wanted to highlight this episode we first aired in the fall, because it’s about a huge subject: AI in schools. The school year is starting to wrap up now around the country, and we’re no closer to figuring out how to thread the needle about generative AI in education than we were in September. Links:  A majority of high school students use gen AI for schoolwork | College Board About a quarter of teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork | Pew Research Your brain on ChatGPT | MIT Media Lab My students think it’s fine to cheat with AI. Maybe they’re on to something. | Vox How children understand and learn from conversational AI | McGill University ‘File not Found’ | The Verge Subscribe to The Verge to access the ad-free version of Decoder! Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Our producers are Kate Cox and Nick Statt. Our editor is Ursa Wright.  The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the intersection of power, innovation, and consequence, you'll find Decoder with Nilay Patel. Hosted by The Verge's editor-in-chief, this isn't a typical business or technology podcast that simply recites the news. Instead, Nilay engages with founders, CEOs, legislators, and artists in substantive conversations that dissect the mechanics behind major decisions. The dialogue focuses on the real-world implications of big ideas, probing how today's choices in boardrooms and legislatures ripple out into society tomorrow. You'll hear guests articulate their toughest challenges, the trade-offs they've made, and the often-unseen forces shaping industries from social media and artificial intelligence to transportation and entertainment. Each episode is built on a foundation of genuine curiosity, aiming to unpack not just what is happening, but why it matters for the way we all live and work. Listening to this podcast feels like gaining access to a nuanced, behind-the-scenes briefing where strategy and philosophy collide. It's for anyone who suspects that the most important stories aren't the announcements themselves, but the human decisions, the unforeseen problems, and the ethical calculations that happen long before the headlines are written. Through these detailed conversations, Decoder provides a crucial lens on the architects of our modern world and the complex systems they are building, for better or worse.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Decoder with Nilay Patel
Podcast Episodes
Recode Decode: Dave Asprey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:16
Bulletproof founder and former CEO Dave Asprey talks about the invention and current state of “biohacking," how his blog for “bulletproof executives” grew into a global lifestyle, and the most important ways to track and…
Recode Decode: Nikole Hannah-Jones [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:40
New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about how the coronavirus pandemic is magnifying inequality in the US, and our historical failure to treat essential workers — from me…
Recode Decode: Sarah Kendzior [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:52
Bestselling author and Gaslit Nation co-host Sarah Kendzior talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America; what pundits get wrong abo…
Recode Decode: Tim Ferriss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:05
Bestselling author, investor, and podcaster Tim Ferriss talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his advice for people coping with the coronavirus quarantine, which includes giving yourself slack for being unproductive, af…
Recode Decode: Mark Cuban [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:48
Investor, Dallas Mavericks owner, and Shark Tank co-host Mark Cuban talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about what capitalism and entrepreneurship looks like in a post-coronavirus world; whether he's planning to run for pol…
Recode Decode: Mayor London Breed [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:42
San Francisco Mayor London Breed talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about why she was one of the first local leaders in the US to act on the spread of covid-19, how she thinks about the slow and dishonest response from Pre…
Recode Decode: Jeffrey Katzenberg [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:07
Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the first week of the short-form video app — which was intended for on-the-go consumers, but still racked up 1.7 million downloads, even though most…
Recode Decode: Sarah Frier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:05
Bloomberg technology reporter Sarah Frier talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about her new book, No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram. Frier discusses how co-founders Mike Systrom and Danny Krieger met, why they sold I…
Recode Decode: Adam Grant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:55
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant, the author of "Originals" and host of the podcast "WorkLife," talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about the benefits of working from home, and how work will change during the COVID-19…
Recode Decode: Niall Ferguson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:49
Historian Niall Ferguson, the author of bestselling books such as The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower, talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his new PBS series, Networld, which explores the history and scie…