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Tag: AI in classrooms

  • Microsoft hopes Mico succeeds where Clippy failed as tech companies warily imbue AI with personality

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    Clippy, the animated paper clip that annoyed Microsoft Office users nearly three decades ago, might have just been ahead of its time.Microsoft introduced a new artificial intelligence character called Mico (pronounced MEE’koh) on Thursday, a floating cartoon face shaped like a blob or flame that will embody the software giant’s Copilot virtual assistant and marks the latest attempt by tech companies to imbue their AI chatbots with more of a personality.Copilot’s cute new emoji-like exterior comes as AI developers face a crossroads in how they present their increasingly capable chatbots to consumers without causing harm or backlash. Some have opted for faceless symbols, others like Elon Musk’s xAI are selling flirtatious, human-like avatars and Microsoft is looking for a middle ground that’s friendly without being obsequious.”When you talk about something sad, you can see Mico’s face change. You can see it dance around and move as it gets excited with you,” said Jacob Andreou, corporate vice president of product and growth for Microsoft AI, in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s in this effort of really landing this AI companion that you can really feel.”In the U.S. only so far, Copilot users on laptops and phone apps can speak to Mico, which changes colors, spins around and wears glasses when in “study” mode. It’s also easy to shut off, which is a big difference from Microsoft’s Clippit, better known as Clippy and infamous for its persistence in offering advice on word processing tools when it first appeared on desktop screens in 1997.”It was not well-attuned to user needs at the time,” said Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Microsoft pushed it, we resisted it and they got rid of it. I think we’re much more ready for things like that today.”Reimer, co-author of a new book called “How to Make AI Useful,” said AI developers are balancing how much personality to give AI assistants based on who their expected users are.Tech-savvy adopters of advanced AI coding tools may want it to “act much more like a machine because at the back end they know it’s a machine,” Reimer said. “But individuals who are not as trustful in a machine are going to be best supported — not replaced — by technology that feels a little more like a human.”Microsoft, a provider of work productivity tools that is far less reliant on digital advertising revenue than its Big Tech competitors, also has less incentive to make its AI companion overly engaging in a way that’s been tied to social isolation, harmful misinformation and, in some cases, suicides.Andreou said Microsoft has watched as some AI developers veered away from “giving AI any sort of embodiment,” while others are moving in the opposite direction in enabling AI girlfriends.”Those two paths don’t really resonate with us that much,” he said.Andreou said the companion’s design is meant to be “genuinely useful” and not so validating that it would “tell us exactly what we want to hear, confirm biases we already have, or even suck you in from a time-spent perspective and just try to kind of monopolize and deepen the session and increase the time you’re spending with these systems.””Being sycophantic — short-term, maybe — has a user respond more favorably,” Andreou said. “But long term, it’s actually not moving that person closer to their goals.”Microsoft’s product releases Thursday include a new option to invite Copilot into a group chat, an idea that resembles how AI has been integrated into social media platforms like Snapchat, where Andreou used to work, or Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram. But Andreou said those interactions have often involved bringing in AI as a joke to “troll your friends,” in contrast to Microsoft’s designs for an “intensely collaborative” AI-assisted workplace.Microsoft’s audience includes kids, as part of its longtime competition with Google and other tech companies to supply its technology to classrooms. Microsoft also Thursday added a feature to turn Copilot into a “voice-enabled, Socratic tutor” that guides students through concepts they’re studying.A growing number of kids use AI chatbots for everything — homework help, personal advice, emotional support and everyday decision-making.The Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry last month into several social media and AI companies — Microsoft wasn’t one of them — about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.That’s after some chatbots have been shown to give kids dangerous advice about topics such as drugs, alcohol and eating disorders, or engaged in sexual conversations with them. Families of teen boys who died by suicide after lengthy chatbot interactions have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Character.AI and ChatGPT maker OpenAI.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently promised “a new version of ChatGPT” coming this fall that restores some of the personality lost when it introduced a new version in August. He said the company temporarily halted some behaviors because “we were being careful with mental health issues” that he suggested have now been fixed.”If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it,” Altman said on X. (In the same post, he also said OpenAI will later enable ChatGPT to engage in “erotica for verified adults,” which got more attention.)

    Clippy, the animated paper clip that annoyed Microsoft Office users nearly three decades ago, might have just been ahead of its time.

    Microsoft introduced a new artificial intelligence character called Mico (pronounced MEE’koh) on Thursday, a floating cartoon face shaped like a blob or flame that will embody the software giant’s Copilot virtual assistant and marks the latest attempt by tech companies to imbue their AI chatbots with more of a personality.

    Copilot’s cute new emoji-like exterior comes as AI developers face a crossroads in how they present their increasingly capable chatbots to consumers without causing harm or backlash. Some have opted for faceless symbols, others like Elon Musk’s xAI are selling flirtatious, human-like avatars and Microsoft is looking for a middle ground that’s friendly without being obsequious.

    “When you talk about something sad, you can see Mico’s face change. You can see it dance around and move as it gets excited with you,” said Jacob Andreou, corporate vice president of product and growth for Microsoft AI, in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s in this effort of really landing this AI companion that you can really feel.”

    In the U.S. only so far, Copilot users on laptops and phone apps can speak to Mico, which changes colors, spins around and wears glasses when in “study” mode. It’s also easy to shut off, which is a big difference from Microsoft’s Clippit, better known as Clippy and infamous for its persistence in offering advice on word processing tools when it first appeared on desktop screens in 1997.

    “It was not well-attuned to user needs at the time,” said Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Microsoft pushed it, we resisted it and they got rid of it. I think we’re much more ready for things like that today.”

    Reimer, co-author of a new book called “How to Make AI Useful,” said AI developers are balancing how much personality to give AI assistants based on who their expected users are.

    Tech-savvy adopters of advanced AI coding tools may want it to “act much more like a machine because at the back end they know it’s a machine,” Reimer said. “But individuals who are not as trustful in a machine are going to be best supported — not replaced — by technology that feels a little more like a human.”

    Microsoft, a provider of work productivity tools that is far less reliant on digital advertising revenue than its Big Tech competitors, also has less incentive to make its AI companion overly engaging in a way that’s been tied to social isolation, harmful misinformation and, in some cases, suicides.

    Andreou said Microsoft has watched as some AI developers veered away from “giving AI any sort of embodiment,” while others are moving in the opposite direction in enabling AI girlfriends.

    “Those two paths don’t really resonate with us that much,” he said.

    Andreou said the companion’s design is meant to be “genuinely useful” and not so validating that it would “tell us exactly what we want to hear, confirm biases we already have, or even suck you in from a time-spent perspective and just try to kind of monopolize and deepen the session and increase the time you’re spending with these systems.”

    “Being sycophantic — short-term, maybe — has a user respond more favorably,” Andreou said. “But long term, it’s actually not moving that person closer to their goals.”

    Microsoft’s product releases Thursday include a new option to invite Copilot into a group chat, an idea that resembles how AI has been integrated into social media platforms like Snapchat, where Andreou used to work, or Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram. But Andreou said those interactions have often involved bringing in AI as a joke to “troll your friends,” in contrast to Microsoft’s designs for an “intensely collaborative” AI-assisted workplace.

    Microsoft’s audience includes kids, as part of its longtime competition with Google and other tech companies to supply its technology to classrooms. Microsoft also Thursday added a feature to turn Copilot into a “voice-enabled, Socratic tutor” that guides students through concepts they’re studying.

    A growing number of kids use AI chatbots for everything — homework help, personal advice, emotional support and everyday decision-making.

    The Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry last month into several social media and AI companies — Microsoft wasn’t one of them — about the potential harms to children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.

    That’s after some chatbots have been shown to give kids dangerous advice about topics such as drugs, alcohol and eating disorders, or engaged in sexual conversations with them. Families of teen boys who died by suicide after lengthy chatbot interactions have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Character.AI and ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently promised “a new version of ChatGPT” coming this fall that restores some of the personality lost when it introduced a new version in August. He said the company temporarily halted some behaviors because “we were being careful with mental health issues” that he suggested have now been fixed.

    “If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it,” Altman said on X. (In the same post, he also said OpenAI will later enable ChatGPT to engage in “erotica for verified adults,” which got more attention.)

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  • American College of Education Doctoral Graduate Emerges as a Leading Voice on AI in Classrooms

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    INDIANAPOLIS, August 27, 2025 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Accomplished educator Dr. Nneka J. McGee turned her professional research in artificial intelligence into a doctoral degree at American College of Education (ACE), establishing her as a national leader in implementing AI in K-12 classrooms – just as a new presidential executive order calls for more AI education in K-12 schools.

    ACE, founded in 2005 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, is a national innovator in providing quality, affordable and online graduate degrees, and is the third-highest conferrer of education master’s degrees in the United States.1

    For her doctoral dissertation, McGee conducted original research into K-12 teachers’ experiences learning about AI and attempting to implement it in their classrooms. She completed her program in December 2023 and graduated from ACE in 2024.

    She chose to pursue her degree at ACE because of her concerns about the high tuition and student loan debt at most graduate programs. She also wanted the flexibility of online education so she could continue her career – something difficult or impossible if she attended a traditional bricks-and-mortar university.

    ACE’s doctoral tuition is under $25,0002 and among the lowest in the United States. It has not raised tuition in eight years3 and the college forgoes federal student loan programs, which helps keep costs low. As a result, McGee was able to graduate from ACE without accruing any student loans.

    “That was really a determining factor for me, and ACE also has the accreditation that is necessary,” McGee said. “Because of that and the flexibility of the program, I was able to keep working and, during my program, I rose from director to executive director to chief academic officer.”

    When McGee began her research, she was working as a director of advanced academics in a Dallas-area school district and building the framework for launching an AI initiative aimed at helping students learn more about the technology. ChatGPT was still years from becoming a household word, and she realized there were few studies on the use of AI in the United States’ K-12 schools.

    “I noticed there is this thing, AI, that is going to transform education, and I thought not enough people are talking about it or looking at the implications. That was the genesis for my research,” McGee said.

    Through a questionnaire and follow-up interviews, she gathered information from a slate of K-12 teachers nationwide on their efforts to learn about AI educational tools and to bring them into the classroom.

    McGee found that teachers were using AI-powered tools to save time on tasks, and that they saw increased student engagement when AI was incorporated into learning environments. However, teachers also faced significant challenges in attaining those outcomes.

    “One of the biggest findings is that teachers don’t have enough access to quality professional development in this space,” she said. While AI is a hot topic of discussion, teachers have limited access to people with enough expertise to implement it. Teachers had to seek out the few options for professional development on their own.

    She also found that when teachers did find a way to access AI training, they often faced the challenge of having limited time to pursue the professional development side, let alone implement it in their classrooms.

    Doctoral students often face similar challenges as they study and write their dissertations. McGee said ACE’s online classes are more effective than traditional on-campus lectures because “you actually have more time to sit and really process the information, because it is flexible, on your own time, when you’re in the best condition to learn.”

    ACE uses a chapter-by-chapter dissertation model, where students work on their dissertation progressively throughout their doctoral program, rather than waiting until the end. In addition, dedicated faculty members guide students through each phase of the dissertation, including topic selection, literature review, research methodology, data analysis and the final defense.   

    Professors also offered invaluable support when she felt challenged while writing her dissertation. “One of my professors kept checking in on me – he may have noticed it in my emails or responses – and he said, ‘OK, we need to talk like, so call me and let’s talk,’” McGee said. “That call really changed everything. He said, ‘Let’s look at this, how are you feeling, why are you feeling this way?’ And I realized what I needed to do, and that weekend I finished everything up. So it was a pivotal moment.”

    The dissertation, now available online, recommends that school districts invest in professional development and resources that promote responsible AI implementation – an idea echoed months later in April’s presidential executive order.

    McGee’s work has caught the attention of many organizations developing policies and uses for AI, allowing her to serve as a panelist for the U.S. Department of Education and Carnegie Mellon University. She has also collaborated on projects with Digital Promise and the Stanford Accelerator for Learning at Stanford University. McGee has been in high demand as a keynote or featured speaker on AI in education at multiple conferences.

    She credits much of her success to ACE’s program and the quality and personal attention of its faculty. “My dissertation work came out when ChatGPT exploded,” McGee said. “People saw me as a teacher with campus experience, district leadership and administration experience, and I had a doctoral degree. That just wouldn’t have been possible without ACE’s program, and the care and consideration of my teachers.”

    ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland said the college was proud of McGee’s career success.

    “Dr. McGee’s commitment to pursuing her doctorate on AI’s role in education is a perfect example of our students’ dedication to learning and mastering the latest advances in their field,” Hyland said. “Students like Dr. McGee are the reason ACE is committed to building programs that teach current, relevant skills, and why we continually refine those programs while relentlessly focusing on keeping our degrees accessible and affordable.”

    1nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/datacenter

    2This is an estimated value of the cost for tuition and fees. Amounts may vary depending on number of transfer credits applied to the selected program hours, the pace and satisfactory completion of the selected program, receipt of institutional scholarship and/or grant amounts, or adjustments to tuition or fees as described in the Catalog Right to Modify Tuition section. State sales and use tax will apply where required by law.

    3Excludes RN to BSN

    About American College of Education

    American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, fully online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 60 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master’s or bachelor’s degree, along with graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation and part of a global movement to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

    Source: American College of Education

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