Do AI's risks outweigh the benefits for students and schools?

Are we heading in the right direction with AI in education, or drifting into a "wild west" of privacy risks and lost learning? In this episode, Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, sits down with tech reporter Kara Swisher to unpack the urgent findings from her task force's new report, "A new direction for students in an AI world: Prosper, prepare, protect." The episode also features highlights from the report's launch event, where student co-author Rida Karim joins the conversation to discuss practical strategies for integrating AI without sacrificing critical thinking. Show notes and transcript . Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu .

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Do AI's risks outweigh the benefits for students and schools? is an episode from The Current by The Brookings Institution.

This episode is 19:46 long.

This episode was published on Jan 20, 2026.

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