By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
Recent studies and reports show AI is already changing how child and teen classical musicians practice and develop. AI-powered apps give rapid, objective feedback, personalize practice paths, support goal-setting and self-regulated learning, and (in controlled studies) produce measurable gains in confidence and performance compared with traditional, teacher-only practice.
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Grok)
Editor
[Also see the reports from Oct 2025, Sept 2025, July 2025]
College professors are incorporating AI into their professional lives, often in ways that extend beyond traditional teaching into research, curriculum design, and reflective writing. For November-December 2025, here are three inspiring cases: Matt Kinservik at the University of Delaware, who weaves AI into his writing instruction to foster critical skills; Jennifer Chen at Kean University, who leverages AI in her educational research to pioneer ethical applications; and Zach Justus at California State University, Chico, who employs AI in his communication work to enhance evaluation and mentorship.
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
[Also see earlier reports: November 2025, October 2025.]
The original five-issue framing from the November report still holds, but every item has deepened and a few new flashpoints have emerged that change the tactical picture on the ground. What’s changed for December is intensity and specificity: (a) the federal/state enforcement axis has added concrete actions (eg., a draft State Department list of 38 institutions and new Education Department guidance); (b) programmatic harm has moved from threat to real, quantifiable cuts (over 100 TRIO program cancellations and continuing freezes); and (c) a new wave of campus-level legal conflicts and take-downs (student publications suspended at the University of Alabama; a Liberty Justice Center lawsuit against the University of Arizona) have become the brightest flashpoints. See The Guardian and Inside Higher Ed for the State Department/partnership reporting and the TRIO coverage. (The Guardian)
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“Google … released a new version of its Gemini AI model last month [August 2025] that surpassed OpenAI on industry benchmark tests and sent the search giant’s stock soaring. Gemini’s user base has been climbing since the August release of an image generator, Nano Banana, and Google said monthly active users grew from 450 million in July to 650 million in October” (Berber Jin, 2 Dec 2025).
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Perplexity)
Editor
[Related reports: Jan 2026, Nov. 2025, Oct. 2025]
Three critical educational technology issues for higher education in December 2025 are: (1) AI governance and institutional trust, (2) cybersecurity and digital resilience, and (3) AI policy, assessment, and student mental health. Each is already sharply defined in November 2025 articles that document why these problems matter for the coming term.etcjournal+3
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
Introduction: Elon Musk predicted, at the US-Saudi Forum 19 Nov 2025, that “work will be optional” in approximately 10-to-20 years as a result of advances in AI technology. I asked ChatGPT to search the current (2025) literature for (1) the three strongest arguments FOR Musk’s prediction and (2) the three strongest arguments AGAINST his prediction. I added that the arguments need not refer to Musk or the US-Saudi forum. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
Introduction: On Thanksgiving Day 2025, I asked ChatGPT to identify ten individuals in the world that we should be thanking for significant contributions to the growth of AI in 2025. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Perplexity)
Editor
(Related reports: Jan 2026, Nov 2025, Oct 2025, Sep 2025)
The field of AI is heading into December 2025 with three urgent decisions: how to govern frontier AI models, how to handle the open‑source versus closed‑source race, and how to expand AI compute without blowing through energy, water, and climate constraints. Each of these comes with big power struggles between governments and tech companies, and the choices made in the next few weeks will shape who leads AI, how safe it is, and who gets access.anecdotes+2
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Claude)
Editor
Introduction: I asked Claude to review articles published in the last three months that focused on effective leadership styles for the AI era. Based on the three selections, I asked for generalizations about ideal leadership and a definition for this new leadership style. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Grok)
Editor
[Related: Oct 2025, Sep 2025, Aug 2025]
Research suggests several AI trends are gaining traction in specialized tech communities and industries during November 2025, though they haven’t yet captured widespread public attention. These include advancements that could reshape how AI integrates into workflows, infrastructure, and user experiences, but evidence leans toward them remaining niche for now due to technical complexity and limited mainstream adoption. Here are the top five, selected based on mentions in recent reports and discussions:
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“As Andrej Karpathy just wrote, humanity is having first contact with a type of intelligence that does not come from biology, evolution, fear, hunger, status, or shame. For the first time in history, we are dealing with a mind that isn’t an animal. We just haven’t adjusted our thinking to match. Human intelligence isn’t the default – it’s a local anomaly. For our entire existence, we’ve assumed that our way of thinking is the template for intelligence itself. It isn’t. It’s just the only version we’ve ever met…. Organisations often do things that make no commercial sense: [1] meetings with fifteen people because exclusion feels threatening, [2] decisions delayed because no-one wants to be wrong first, [3] brilliant ideas softened into mediocrity so no-one gets upset, [4] and vanity projects that limp on long after the data has declared them dead…. AI isn’t trying to be human – and it isn’t trying to be anything at all. It simply optimises whatever objective it is given. And that is the key thing that most people keep fumbling over…. A system can generate brilliant strategies without wanting power. It can persuade without caring about influence. It can outperform a human without dreaming of replacing them. Ability is not agency. Agency only emerges if we design it – by giving systems goals, tools, and persistence. As my friend Dr Rami Mukhtar always says: AI HAS NO AGENCY” (Constantine Frantzeskos, 25 Nov 2025).
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Claude)
Editor
In this article, I asked Claude to search for and summarize articles that have been written about the difference between “education” and “schooling.” In grad school, in the mid-1980s, Professor Solomon Jaeckel, University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, began his course with the question, “What is the difference between schooling and education?” And throughout the semester, whenever we hit the wall in discussions about issues in educational foundations, he brought up that refrain, “What is the difference between schooling and education?” We danced around it throughout the semester but never got his nod, and he never answered it for us. He once told us a joke about finding, scribbled on his classroom chalkboard before a final exam, “This, too, shall pass.” We all thought it referred to his tough course and exams, but now I’m thinking he meant the chalkboard, classroom, and college itself. In short, schooling becomes education when it takes on a broader meaning. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Grok)
Editor
[See related reports: Dec 2025, Oct 2025, Sep 2025]
I asked Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and Grok to search for and select critical articles on AI in higher ed published in November 2025. Out of their selections, I chose and ranked the 10 best. -js
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tsuzumi 2. “Traditional large language models require dozens or hundreds of GPUs, creating electricity consumption and operational cost barriers that make AI deployment impractical for many organisations…. NTT’s [Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation] recent launch of tsuzumi 2, a lightweight large language model (LLM) running on a single GPU, demonstrates how businesses are resolving this constraint – with early deployments showing performance matching larger models and running at a fraction of the operational cost…. More significantly, on-premise deployment [Tokyo Online University] addresses data privacy concerns that prevent many educational institutions from using cloud-based AI services that process sensitive student information…. NTT’s tsuzumi 2 deployment demonstrates that sophisticated AI implementation doesn’t require hyperscale infrastructure – at least for organisations whose requirements align with lightweight model capabilities” (Dashveenjit Kaur, 20 Nov 2025).
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To avoid tell-tale AIstyle1 in your writing, see “Wikipedia: Signs of AI writing” (tip from Russell Brandom, 20 Nov 2025). Warning signs: (1) Undue emphasis on symbolism, legacy, and importance. (2) Undue emphasis on notability, attribution, and media coverage. (3) Superficial analyses. (4) Promotional and advertisement-like language. (5) Didactic, editorializing disclaimers. (6) Section summaries. (7) Outline-like conclusions about challenges and future prospects. (8) Leads treating Wikipedia lists or broad article titles as proper nouns. This is just the tip of the AIstyle iceberg. For much more, see the Wikipedia article. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro
Editor
Introduction: The following informal transcript was grabbed off a YouTube video this afternoon, Nov 19, 2025. I relied on the audio and CC. I focused on Elon Musk’s and Jensen Huang’s talks. I omitted the introductions, host’s comments, and small talk. I didn’t have the time or resources to review and edit, so expect typos and possible errors. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
JS: How is the UX (user experience) between AI and agentic-AI different?
ChatGPT: The following explain UX differences between AI (non-agentic) and agentic AI, why it matters, and how it shifts user expectations.
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
Introduction: Text transcripts or other recordings of higher education presentations at key conferences are rarely if ever freely accessible by the overwhelming majority of educators in the U.S. and the world. In the case of Stanford’s February 25, 2025, conference, “The future is already here: AI and education in 2025,” video recordings of nine entire presentations have been made available to the public at their site and on YouTube. I asked ChatGPT to summarize them. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by ChatGPT)
Editor
[Also see Status of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): October 2025, When Will AI Surpass Humanity and What Happens After That?]
These three advances in AGI were announced after ETC Journal’s Oct. 17, 2025, article was published: (1) DeepMind’s SIMA 2, a Gemini-powered agent that “thinks” in 3D virtual worlds, (2) DeepMind’s new work on aligning visual representations, improving how models “see” the world, and (3) Anthropic’s $50 billion US compute / data-center investment, a large infrastructure bet to sustain frontier-model training.
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Claude)
Editor
Article Information:
The central thesis of this article is that generative artificial intelligence tools can be ethically integrated into academic writing processes as long as researchers adhere to principles of transparency, maintain human accountability for content, and use AI to enhance rather than replace critical thinking and scholarly development.
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AI the new source of geopolitical power. “The dialogue [TRENDS’ 2nd Annual Dialogue on AI] concluded that artificial intelligence has become the new source of geopolitical power, surpassing natural resources and military strength. Soft power is no longer limited to culture and education but now includes digital identity systems, innovative services, and AI models” (MSN, 14 Nov 2025).
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Copilot)
Editor
Introduction: I asked Copilot to identify and rank order the 10 world leaders in AI drone warfare as of November 13, 2025, using the following criteria: R&D, Industrial Scale, Battlefield Performance, and Export/Influence. When Ukraine failed to make the list, I asked Copilot to explain. I think you’ll find the explanation insightful. -js
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Copilot)
Editor
[Also see Dec. 2025, Oct 2025, Sep 2025, Aug 2025]
Between October 14 and November 13, 2025, one headline cut through the noise: Apple reportedly partnering with Google to supercharge Siri with Gemini—framed as a leap toward trillion-parameter intelligence on consumer devices. The article “Apple Joins Forces with Google to Supercharge Siri with 1.2 Trillion-Parameter AI!” by Mackenzie Ferguson, published on OpenTools on November 6, 2025, captured the public imagination and crystallized a turning point in platform strategy. The piece appeared on OpenTools’ AI News page and set out the basic claim and its significance for the smartphone AI battleground opentools.ai.
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“Today’s AI differs from previous generations’ because it can tell stories and create images. Built from online human stories rather than facts or logic, generative AI mimics human intelligence by collecting and recombining our digital narratives. While earlier AI managed specific organizational functions, generative AI directly addresses how humans think and communicate. Unintended consequences: Because generative AI is built from people’s digital commentary, it inherently propagates biases and misinformation.
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By Jim Shimabukuro (assisted by Copilot)
Editor
[Also see Trump’s Impact on AI (Oct 2025), Trump’s Impact on AI (Sep. 2025)]
In mid-October, analysis of the Trump administration’s 2025 AI Action Plan highlighted tangible momentum: expanded data center build-outs, “innovation sandboxes,” and targeted federal funding intended to accelerate U.S. AI leadership. This period’s developments underscored a pro-innovation posture—streamlining permits and encouraging private-sector deployment—while signaling an export-forward stance that positions American AI to compete globally.
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Educational Technology and Change Journal 
